Naruto: Keeper of the Seal
by Taeron
Summary: In ages past demons bore human children and in their demon blood were certain abilities. But now, a combination of the power of the Kyuubi and the will of one young ninja will bring about something more powerful than ever imagined Original Bloodline.
1. With Eyes to See

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto... Blah blah

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Naruto: Keeper of the Seal

Prelude

With Eyes to See

"Speech"

"_Thoughts"_

_Writing_

"_**Bijuu speech"**_

**Jutsu**

XXXXXX

**CHIDORI!**

**RASENGAN!**

Naruto felt the sphere of condensed chakra in his hand collide with the lightning edge clasped in Sasuke's. The maelstrom of energy swirled in rage against the piercing edge, throwing aside the razor sharp point of the jutsu, holding both users in place as they forced more and more chakra into their attacks.

Suddenly, the balance shifted, Naruto felt something twitch in his head, and Sasuke gave his last desperate shove. The Chidori lanced through Naruto's chest right above the heart, severing his aortic artery, cutting off his precious supply of oxygen from his body. Pain coursed through his body with the crackling electricity, throwing Naruto into convulsions. His writhing body slammed his own Rasengan into his stomach, directly over the seal which held the Kyuubi at bay.

The entire valley flashed with a fiery red chakra, and both adversaries were hurled to opposite ends. Sasuke caught himself with his level 2 curse seal wings, while Naruto unceremoniously slammed into the canyon wall, leaving a massive dent in the stone before falling to the ground.

Sasuke drifted to the ground and stood staring at Naruto's fallen form, smirking slightly.

"Baka. I was always better than you, and now that I have power to match the Kyuubi's I will become powerful enough to destroy my brother! You said I was travelling into darkness... but then, why is it that I can only see the light of my future?" Sasuke felt the level two seal fade from his body as he jumped across the river and stood over the blond, "I won't allow you to stand in the way of my ambition dobe, if you want me to return to your pitiful village, prove to me that your way is better. Hate me Naruto, like I hate my brother, live your life in a way that would make your friends sick of you, a way in which people would fear you, and I would finally respect you."

Sasuke turned to leave, limping quietly away from the scene of his last battle as a Konoha shinobi.

Naruto bled in silence on the ground, and finally, darkness took him. All he could feel was the scratched forehead protector in his hand.

XXXXXX

"Kakashi! Naruto is nearby, but he's weak, we have to hurry." Pakkun exclaimed to the masked ninja.

Kakashi didn't bother replying, but instead forced an extra burst of chakra through his legs and leaped into what he had thought was a clearing. Unfortunately for Kakashi, the Valley of the End was not really a clearing, more like a gaping chasm in the earth.

"_HOLY &(!!! who put this huge hole in the ground!"_

Kakashi spun around in mid-air, attaching several shuriken to some ninja wire and hurled them at the tree he had overpassed. He caught himself and was able to latch onto the canyon wall with chakra and walk down it. The sight that greeted his eyes was rather disheartening.

He could tell a battle of epic proportions had been fought here, every nearby tree had been uprooted and sent downstream, or into the rock walls. Even the canyon itself was not left uninjured. Large cracks and craters decorated the floor and walls, bearing witness to the massive power which had been used here.

"Incredible... what were they thinking?" Kakashi mused.

As Kakashi pondered this issue he wandered around, trying to spot a flash of blinding orange that would signify Naruto. He had already tried to sense his chakra, but the place was so saturated with it that it was impossible to discern any one signature from another.

When he finally spotted Naruto he almost cried out in pain. The boy had a massive hole in his chest, and his clothes were in tatters, yet this was not the worst of his injuries. Kakashi could see Naruto's bare stomach and realized that something was wrong with the seal. The normally constant spiral look as if someone had taken a blender to the mix, throwing strange contortions and curves into the seal, altering its four (eight?) points into an indistinguishable mess.

"Oh Kami... Naruto!!" Kakashi yelled.

Naruto didn't respond to his exclamation, but lay there, silent, yet somehow still alive. Kakashi tenderly lifted the boy and clutched him to his chest. Without another word he launched himself to the top of the valley and headed back towards Konoha as fast as possible.

XXXXXX

Kakashi waited nervously in the waiting room of the Konoha hospital OR, doing one of the many things that would have made half of Konoha pass out from surprise and fear, note reading his book. In truth, Kakashi's copy of Icha Icha Paradise had been soaked in Naruto's blood, and was therefore unreadable. Reading usually helped calm him. Before he could ponder more on this, the door to the OR swung open and Jiraiya stepped out, looking exhausted, in both body and spirit.

Kakashi stood quickly, "How is Naruto?"

Jiraiya collapsed in the seat next to where Kakashi had been sitting and closed his eyes for a second before responding.

"Naruto is fine physically..."

Kakashi heard the reluctance in the man's voice, "but what?"

"When his Rasengan hit him in the stomach it dealt some serious damage to his chakra pathways... and the seal holding the Kyuubi in."

Kakashi stared at him in horror, "You mean... the Kyuubi is breaking free?"

"No, nothing like that. If it could it would have already escaped, the seal is not deteriorating, in fact, before I even went to work on it it seemed to be healing itself. It seems as if Naruto's chakra pathways have incorporated the seal into themselves, creating more tenketsu and a longer thread, in which more chakra is stored. If that were not surprising enough, I also found numerous other spiral shaped chakra pathways throughout his body, it seems as if Naruto has been reinforcing the seal unconsciously throughout his body, creating smaller gates through which he can let more of the Kyuubi's power out without losing control."  
"Then what's the problem?"

"Well... when the seal was damaged a burst of the Kyuubi's youkai was able to escape into his system, and because of the reorganization of the seal he cannot return it to the Kyuubi, so his body has absorbed it."

Kakashi looked at him in shock, "Naruto is becoming a demon?"

Jiraiya sighed and rubbed his eyes, "Not quite, I'm not quite sure what this could do to Naruto, but I'm fairly sure that he is going to..."

Before Jiraiya finished his statement a loud shout was heard within the OR. Both ninja reacted instantly, hurling themselves through the swinging doors and into a sight that would burn itself into their minds forever.

Naruto Uzumaki, the number one hyperactive, and most determined ninja in all of Konoha, was sitting up in his bed, one eye clawed out by his own hand, and the other soon to join it. The offending eye flashed in colors more brilliant than the rainbow.

XXXXXX

Kakashi slammed his hand onto the Hokage's desk the next day, after spending the previous evening restraining an incredibly strong Naruto.

"What happened to him!" He yelled at the woman sitting behind the desk.

Tsunade grabbed Kakashi's hand and squeezed, forcing him to sit in the chair which he had just risen from.

"Calm yourself Kakashi, no one here cares more about Naruto's health than I do. Do you think I would have called you away when I left if I didn't think he would be fine. Besides, we need to talk about Naruto's... condition."

"You speak, I don't know what to think at the moment."

"It's simple really, Naruto just suffered a revelation."

Kakashi blinked, then felt his rage kindle, "I JUST WATCHED MY STUDENT TEAR OUT HIS OWN EYE!!! THAT IS NOT WHAT I CALL A REVELATION!!"

Tsunade tapped him on the head, once again back into his chair.

"Listen very closely Kakashi. From what Jiraiya and I have been able to gather, the effect of having the Kyuubi's youkai absorbed into his body has changed Naruto's genetic makeup."

"And why would that make him pull his own eyes out?"

"Well, according to what I've been able to find, Naruto has developed a bloodline."

"Wait... that can't happen, you're born with bloodline, you don't just gain one."

"Yes, but all bloodlines began with demons, and the human children of unions between demon and human. When Kyuubi's chakra ingrained itself into Naruto's body it literally tore a hole in his DNA and inserted itself in, at which point it began to change and mutate to accommodate itself to his body and spirit. At which point his bloodline activated, waking him from his slumber and causing his... episode."

Kakashi leaned back, stunned by this revelation. Naruto? A bloodline? It seemed impossible that something like this could happen, but here Tsunade, the greatest medic-nin of the time, was claiming that it had. There was only one thing to ask now.

"But, what kind of a bloodline would make a person tear their own eyes out? I saw his other eye flashing different colors, but I don't think that's reasonable cause to destroy your own body."

"Ah, and there is the interesting thing. From Naruto's rantings, and a thorough brain scan, I think I've found the fundamental nature of his bloodline. It is the ability to see truth. It's basically an over stimulation of the area of the brain which can detect lies, to such and extent that you can literally see through any lie. I believe this is the reason for Naruto's reaction."

"The mask..."

"Yes, Naruto has lived his whole life beneath a mask of happiness, and in a way, has even been able to convince himself of the lie in which he is living. But now, with his bloodline, the truth of the situation was made all too clear to him, and it was just too much, so he sought to destroy the source of the problem.

"And now he'll be a one-eyed shinobi forever, like me without my Sharingan."

"Actually, that's another thing I wanted to talk to you about. Naruto's episode has been labeled a S-class secret, and you are not to reveal it, or any information about his new bloodline, under any circumstances."

Kakashi, who thought that he had had his share of surprises today, was again knocked off balance, "Why?"

"Apparently this bloodline is adept at protecting itself. The eye that Naruto tore out regrew in a matter of minutes, just as a small amount of the Kyuubi's chakra spiked."

"So it uses the Kyuubi's chakra as well?"

"There's no telling the limits of this new bloodline. Think about it Kakashi, we have in our hands probably the most powerful dojutsu in the history of the world. Created from a union of the Kyuubi and Uzumaki Naruto, the possibilities are limitless. But the most amazing thing is, I don't think it's done evolving yet."

"What?!" Kakashi thought his head was going to implode any second now.

"Naruto's body has been changing over the past few hours, adapting. The process has slowed, but it's definitely continuing, and as far as I know, will continue for as long as he lives. Konoha is now the sole holder of the world's only ever-changing bloodline."

"You sound as if we're going to use him as a weapon." Kakashi accused, his eyes narrowing.

"I don't like it any more than you do. But other people will. The council, Root, even other villages will attempt to use him. I'm only pointing out the obvious. Of course, I myself want him for my research I won't deny that. But I still love him like a brother, and I won't let anyone take him away from me because he is changing."

Kakashi nodded. The Hokage had acknowledged Naruto more quickly than any person, even himself. This made him feel slightly ashamed for doubting her. But with this new power, he was not certain what would happen to Naruto. Only time would tell.

Tsunade finally stood up, "Now, I'm going to bed, you should too. Here is your mission from here on out."

Tsunade handed him a scroll and left. The weight of it seemed almost unbearable.

XXXXXX

_Kakashi-San_

_This mission issued by the... "blah blah, yadda yadda, hmm let's see, ah, here we go."_

_As the most trustworthy leading expert in Dojutsu, you are to aid Uzumaki Naruto in the developing of his own power. Any resources you desire are at your disposal, and any aid from any Shinobi that you should require will be immediately provided by the show of the mark sealed within this scroll. You are not to disclose the contents of this message to anyone, or the nature of your mission to non-vital personnel, namely, those who are not directly aiding you, or are considered untrustworthy, in the developing of said ninja's eyes. A list of notable dojutsu users had been compiled below, those higher on the list are more devoted to Uzumaki Naruto, or less likely to give away this secret._

Kakashi unsealed the mark and stuck it in his pocket, then took a look at the list. He found a large number of Hyuuga's on the list, along with some other less notable people, whom all possessed some form of dojutsu, whether it be a simple as the ability to notice things easier, or powerful enough to kill with their very eyes. They were very low on the list. Surprisingly enough, the first three names were as follows:

_Hyuuga Hinata_

_Hyuuga Neji_

_Hyuuga Hiashi_

"_I suspected Hinata and Neji, but Hiashi? Tsunade must be off her rocker. Well then again, I suppose Hiashi is devoted to Konoha enough to put aside his prejudices in the face of gaining more power for it. I don't see much help from the Hinata sector... yet, looks like my first choice of Byakugan users is Neji. I think I'll try a Sharingan approach first. This new ability seems to be closer to it that the Byakugan anyway." _

Kakashi closed the scroll and burned it with a mid-level fire jutsu, assuring that it, and the sensitive information contained within it were kept secret. He had already memorized the list.

"_Well Naruto, looks like we're going to have Lots of fun."_

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I would like to apply most of the credit for the inspiration for this story to my good friend Forrin K Weatherstorm, who came up with the idea for the bloodline which I am using in this fic._  
_


	2. Kaigan! The Eye of Truth

Hey everyone, its the long awaited chapter of one KotS.

I'd like to send a thanks out to all those who reviewed, and now to respond to those who had questions/comments

Ichihime: As much as I'd like to say people won't be lying to him, they will, just like you said. This fic is gonna be kinda sad in that sense, where Naruto will be the only one who knows the truth of something but can't reveal it. As for the eye thing, that is actually part of the development for the bloodline I'm putting in, you'll have to wait for it ;) And yes, I will be introducing a support character, most likely Hinata. Sorry to those of you who are anti naruhina, it happens to be one of my favs, but I will be experimenting with others. Ill be responding to the genjutsu thing a to another guy here, so keep reading!

The White Dwarf: Won't we all ;)

Spear of the Doomed: You'll have to wait and see for the genjutsu... after all, this is a new bloodline... anything could happen. Remember people, this thing is still evolving. Seeing the truth isn't the only thing it can do. Lol, well, no I didn't mean to write a Harem fic, but I will be writing in some other girls.

Spedclas: I'm feeling Naruhina as stated earlier, but there will be other side relationships

Avatarofrage: thanks for your review and message, they were helpful and inspiring. I agree that Naruto should not under any circumstances just grab a byakugan/sharingan combo, it's kinda lame. Have no fear, more Naruto vs. Bloodline scenes will be coming up. And finally, yes, the bloodline will be an integral part of the plot, it's basically the whole fic. If I write a sequel it will have a more fleshed out bloodline. But this whole fic will be devoted to following Naruto around as his original bloodline evolves, helps, hinders, and harms him. It's gonna be intense... hopefully.

Stormraven: I'm mainly addressing this due to the detail thing. Sorry if I don't go into enough detail, I sometimes get a little excited when I write and rush through, so I'm depending on reviewers like you to tell me when to slow down. Thanks!

Disclaimer thingy: I don't own naruto... happy? I'm gonna go cut myself now.

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Naruto: Keeper of the Seal

Chapter 1

Kaigan! The Eye of Truth

Fear was all he felt. Naruto sat curled up in a ball on his damp hospital bed. His sheets and clothing had been soaked and replaced several times by the cold sweat that poured from his body whenever he had an episode. He remembered the pain… so much pain when he had an attack. Tsunade had come to him the previous day to comfort him. He remembered it all too well.

X Flashback X

_Naruto screamed and fought against the straps holding him to the bed, feeling the thick leather stretch and tear under his tremendous strength._

_One __**SNAP**_

_Two __**SNAP**_

_Three! __**SNAP**_

_FOUR!! __**SNAP**_

_The straps tore loose from the bed and Naruto hurled himself to the ground, pounding his head against the floor, spraying crimson blood over the sterile ceramic tiles, even as they cracked, them crumbled to dust under his assault._

_**CRACK**_

_Naruto felt his skull break, a long hairline fracture appeared on the white surface that peeked out from under his blood and sweat drenched locks._

_Before he could inflict more agony on himself, Naruto felt strong hands pull him into a warm embrace, restraining him, yet, comforting him. He buried his head in the comforting presence and felt a familiar soothing feeling of healing chakra pulsing through his head. The physical pain in his head vanished and the torment in his mind seemed to subside as he looked up at his savior._

_Tsunade, his friend, sister, and mother was holding him, holding his fears at bay like a guardian angel. As he stared into her soft brown eyes a sudden realization hit him._

"She loves me"

_Naruto clung to her like child, before he finally felt the attack fade, and the pain subsided. Seeing Naruto's eyes fade back into their cerulean blue, Tsunade carried him to the bed and laid him down. Naruto felt the world begin to fade into the blissful silence of sleep. Tsunade turned away and headed out, but before she was able to close the door behind her she heard a small voice call out in farewell._

"_I love you too Obaa-Chan."_

_She couldn't stop the tears that welled up in her eyes._

X End Flashback X

That one occurrence had brought solace to his mind, and every time he had another attack all he had to do was think about that one fact that he absolutely knew was true, and he could control himself. The pain never faded though. Whatever was happening to him was intense, unlike any genjutsu he had ever been under. No pain had reduced the effectiveness of it, and he had tried several times to halt his chakra flow, but nothing worked. He remembered Jiraiya trying to explain something to him but he had had another attack, and that talk had failed.

Before Naruto could think any more he heard a knock at the door. He slowly unraveled himself and looked blankly at it. It creaked open as the man on the other side sensed Naruto's chakra slightly rise. Naruto sighed in relief as the masked man walked in and ruffled his hair, this felt normal… it felt, good.

Kakashi took a seat and cleared his throat, "How are you Naruto?"

Naruto thought about this for a moment before replying, "Kakashi, what's wrong with me? Why am I having these attacks?"

"Because Naruto, everything you are is collapsing."

"WHAT?!"

"Naruto, when you battled Sasuke, you hit yourself in the stomach with a Rasengan, correct?"

"Yeah."

"Naruto… when you did that, some of the Kyuubi's youkai escaped from the seal and was trapped outside, and eventually, absorbed by your body."

"Yeah, and, it happens all the time."

"Not like this Naruto, a certain reorganization of the seal forced your body to absorb the power completely, whereas your body would normally send an enormous amount back into the seal. Naruto, you've developed a bloodline."

"A WHAT?!" Naruto yelled, "Don't pull a fast one on me Kakashi, I know that bloodlines can't be made!"

Kakashi reached for his book, paused, then didn't pull it out. The implications of this action caused Naruto to understand the gravity of the situation. Before he could interrupt any more Kakashi tossed him his orange jumpsuit.

"Come on, we have training to do."

XXXXXX

Naruto sat in the lotus position in the middle of training ground 13, forming the ram seal and trying to focus his chakra. His encounter with the Kyuubi's youkai had rearranged the configuration of his chakra coils, and therefore, his ability to mould chakra.

"Focus Naruto, you need to get your chakra control back up or you'll keep having these flashes. Now, run up the tree." Kakashi said.

Naruto jumped to his feet, still holding the ram seal, and sprinted at the tree. The ground underneath his feet impressed slightly as the chakra flowing from his foot gave him an extra push off. Naruto's foot touched the tree, he focused even more, trying to make the concentration of chakra just right.

Before he had a chance to think any more he heard an ominous groan. His eyes widened as a crater more than three feet across exploded out of the tree, hurling him to the far end of the training ground in a rain of splinters and spiraling chakra. Kakashi chuckled slightly, then calmly walked over to his injured student. He had suspected this might happen.

"Ok Naruto, what went wrong?" he asked, smiling.

Naruto growled and got up, "I think I applied too much chakra, but I'm sure I wasn't, I did the exact same thing that allowed me to complete the exercise before."

"Well, not exactly, you see, the nature of your chakra pathways has changed. When your body absorbed the Kyuubi's youkai the pathways in your body increased exponentially, and they got larger. Jiraiya has informed me that if Hyuuga looked at you they would probably just see a being of solid chakra. This increase in chakra pathways has literally more than doubled your chakra capacity, and, because of the configuration that they were made in to, you literally form a thousand tiny whirlwinds when you focus chakra into any part of your body."

Naruto blinked, looked at his hand, blinked again, the held it out, focusing his chakra. Before Kakashi could yell a warning, Naruto formed a Rasengan. Or more to say, he tried to form something like a Rasengan.

Dozens of tiny balls of chakra flew from his hand, slamming into and ripping through, most of the trees within a 50 meter radius. Kakashi saved himself from the carnage by using Kawarima with a log on the other side of the training ground. Splinters and sawdust rained down on Naruto from above as the miniature Rasengans continued their work. several tree crashed to the ground around him and he collapsed into a sitting position, holding the hand he had formed the Rasengan with. The hand itself was bleeding profusely through the many holes which had formed in his skin. Before he could cry out he felt the numbing sensation of the Kyuubi's regeneration take hold and repair the wounded flesh. The Rasengans dispersed and Naruto was left, staring at the carnage which he had just caused.

"Oh, my, Kami." he dazed.

Kakashi appeared next to him, whacking him on the head with his orange book, "Baka! Think before you act! Anyone less skilled than a Chuunin would have died in that attack!"

Naruto rubbed his head and glared at Kakashi, "You could have told me that would happen!"

"I didn't know what would happen if you tried to use any jutsu. Especially that one! Now run up the tree!"

Naruto huffed and formed the ram seal, focusing the chakra into his feet once again and running at a tree. Once more, he was blasted off. This went on for more than an hour before Kakashi left. Naruto kept blasting himself off the tree.

-Six hours later-

Naruto grimaced as he looked at the chakra burns on his feet. Apparently, his tenketsu hadn't adapted to his new chakra configuration and the amount he could put out. The burns healed in about two minutes and Naruto began training again. He had made it half way up one of the mighty trees before it had collapsed from the strain of his insane chakra, and fallen to the earth. He laid back on the ground and stared up at the tree, wondering about the effects this would have on him. His prized technique, the Rasengan, was now almost useless to him other than a large gennin-grinding machine, and he had no idea what his other jutsus would be like.

"Ah ha! I know how to find out!" the world tensed in silence, waiting for his words, "I'll just use them."

Several birds in a far away country collapsed, causing a great warlord to go to war and conquer many nations, after which his descendants ruled with benevolence and harmony. Strangely enough, this empire collapsed due to the low caloric count found in the breakfast cereal of the army, thus causing them to fall asleep when the barbarian invaders came, who all ate bacon and eggs for breakfast. And toast.

Naruto focused his chakra and formed the ram seal.

**Henge**

Blue chakra erupted from the ground and an enormous puff of smoke formed in the clearing. The result was a very messed up looking imitation of the tree which he had been trying to transform into. If you can imagine a child's imitation of a tree on paper, then crumple that up, feed it through a grinder, reconstitute it into a liquid form, then force it through an angel hair stringer, you might get close to the sheer ugliness of the object. The tree let loose a mighty yell of pain and puffed back into Naruto, who was clutching his warped body in pain. The transformation had actually hurt! Nothing like that is supposed to happen.

_"Why is this happening to me!"_

Naruto stared around bewildered at the destruction this minor jutsu had caused. the ground around him had been ripped into by the sheer amount of chakra he had expelled to perform this simple technique. He would have cried now if he didn't have another jutsu left to test. The Kage Bunshin.

Naruto steeled himself for the effects of this jutsu and formed a crossed seal in front of his body.

**Kage Bunshin!**

Naruto felt the wind ripple around his body, becoming completely saturated with chakra, then explode. The force of the winds expelled knocked over several trees and left huge gashes in the ground, not to mention the huge pillar of smoke which puffed into existence. Naruto's mouth dropped open as the smoke cleared. Before him stood one clone, just one. Yet, it was perfect, he couldn't tell exactly why it seemed more real than any other clone he had made, but this one seemed to be _the_ clone. Before he could demand answers of the single figure, it held it's hand out, motioning him to silence, before opening it's mouth.

**Shinko Kage Bunshin**

Naruto stared. Blinked. and stared again, "What?"

The other Naruto smiled and held out his hand. Naruto reached out and took it, too stunned to resist him. As he touched the clone he felt a strange surge go through his body, and he felt a sense of calm fall over him.

"What are you?" Naruto asked.

The clone smiled once again, and opened its mouth, "I am you Naruto, not a cheap imitation of you, I am the you that is. I am your true clone. Now get back up, we have to train!"

Naruto saw the determination in his clone's eyes and felt his spirits lifted.

_"So this is what it feels like to talk to me..."_

The clone charged at the closest tree, Naruto leading slightly behind him. The clone dashed up the side of the tree, leaving a wake of broken bark and splintered wood. Naruto followed, his footsteps making slightly less of an impression on the wood.

_"It's like I'm instantly learning everything from what my clone is doing... this is incredible!"_

The Naruto clone reached about two thirds of the way up the tree before being blown off by an uneven application of chakra. It sailed through the air and flipped, landing on a branch opposite of the tree, watching Naruto with eyes that flashed through a brilliant array of colors.

Naruto felt an itching around his eyes and in the back of his head. All the confusion, questions and ideas floating around in his head vanished. He felt pain spike in his mind as he felt his bloodline activating, the pain of the past, the voices of the present, all shouting. He snarled and pushed them aside, and they obeyed. The pain shrank and he suddenly realized what he was doing wrong.

_"It all makes sense! If I just apply chakra like this, reversing the spirals, they'll straighten out and sink deeper into my body, leaving straight pathways in my feet."_

His feet burned for a second and his next step didn't even leave a crack in the wood. Naruto shouted out in joy and sprinted all the way to the top and jumped off, flipping backwards and landing next to his clone. They both looked satisfied at the tree before opening their mouths in unison.

**Kaigan**

"Hey! That was my line, I'm Uzumaki Naruto!" Naruto yelled

"BS! I am you you idiot!" the clone yelled.

They both tumbled out of the tree, trying to get the upper hand over the other. They landed in a bundle and the clone vanished in a puff of smoke.

XXXXXX

Kakashi smiled under his mask as they two Naruto's hit the ground. He knew Naruto would figure out the tree climbing exercise eventually, but not this quickly. He suspected it had something to do with his new bloodline, considering the fact that Kakashi had seen him and the clone brandishing multi-hued eyes at each other.

_"However, that clone technique was very interesting. It could be incredibly useful in the future. Like the Kage Bunshin, it allows the user to learn quicker, but what else can it do? And those eyes... I think I'm out of my league now, I'm going to need help."_

"Excellent work Naruto." Kakashi shouted, strolling over to him as he lay in a pained bundle on the ground, "Not only did you pass the first chakra exercise, but you also managed to activate your bloodline without going into a seizure. Tell me, how did you do it?"

"I don't know, I guess I just pushed aside all the thoughts that were coming to my mind and focused on the thing at hand. I think the voices are getting weaker." Naruto explained.

"That makes sense, you're like a person coming to terms with reality Naruto, your mask is being torn apart by your own mind. It's only natural that you should try to reject that. I think I know the first step to removing this handicap though. C'mon, I've made some... arrangements."

"What kind of..."

"You'll see, it has something to do with ramen."

Naruto followed Kakashi, unaware that his eyes were still cycling through their strange weave of color.

XXXXXX

They arrived at Ichiraku's Ramen a half hour early for Kakashi's surprise, so they sat down and Naruto started on his first bowl, while Kakashi nursed a saucer of sake, not drinking, just looking into it, and covertly watching his pupil with the protean eyes. He wondered what Naruto was thinking.

_"Awwww man! These noodles are AWESOME!!! Each one has its own unique flavor, I can practically taste the love and effort that was put into making them... It tastes so good!!!"_

As you can see, Naruto was making good use of his bloodline. For examining noodles. Meanwhile, in Naruto's brain the area in charge of detecting lies was going nuts. It sent tendrils out into his perception, linking with his senses, enhancing his perception to new levels. It was also busy, sorting his memories and breaking down the mask that he had held for so long. It removed the jading from the "facts" that his teachers had told him, and stripped down his shinobi teachings to what they truly were. Yet, at the same time, it stripped away his inhibitions about those who were truly his friends, showing him that they were in fact comrades who could be trusted. But also showing him the depravity of his treatment towards them and those who he has failed. This war was fought silently by one who was devoting all his energies to protecting the blond from himself.

In Naruto's mindscape, a lone figure stood in the middle of the sewer. His true clone. He held the darkness at bay and nurtured the various other beings that were flourishing in Naruto's mind.

"Very soon Naruto, we shall be together. All of us. We are nothing more than we are, we are you, and you are us. All of us."

He stood, watching over the pulsing light in Naruto's mind, and awaiting the shadows that would come from it.

* * *

Okies well, that's that. I don't feel too good about the last section, but I really felt like it needed to be in there for future reference. 

Okay, now lets get down to explaining a few things

Kaigan: Opening Ones Eyes to the Truth: This is the baseline of Naruto's bloodline. The Kaigan is a Dojutsu which simultaneously stimulates the eyes and brain. It hyperactivates the area of the brain responsible for detecting and creating lies. As a result, Naruto can detect any lie whatsoever. A side effect of this also allows Naruto to instantly understand the inner workings of his body on an instinctual level like no other. This bloodline has yet to develop any other abilities than the processing and destruction of lies and the understanding of one's own body, but it will continue to evolve as Naruto's DNA is still being altered. A requirement for the Shinko Kage Bunshin technique.

Shinko Kage Bunshin: This unique Kage Bunshin is an exact replica of the user, down to the very last nerve ending in their body. Yet, it is so much more. It possesses its own consciousness which is derived from the user of the technique, and evolves when thrown into a situation. Where a normal Kage Bunshin is merely an extension of the users mind, this is an independent being, separate, yet connected on a much closer level. A Shinko Kage Bunshin can reason, solve, and even live a life of its own without an interference from the user. A clone made with this technique has the potential to produce its own chakra if it is made correctly (more on this technique later...). The drawback to this clone is that it essentially creates another personality as the clone's thoughts are separate from the user and can develop its own conclusions and insights. Only usable by those who have the Kaigan, as absolute understanding of the body and mind on an instinctual, not intellectual, level is required. (I'm gonna be writing more about this technique when I get my thoughts in order, any help would be cool.) This technique will probably see much use, like the kage bunshin in the original series, as a training device and... other uses.

Concerning chakra pathways: Naruto's body has basically copied the Kyuubi seal and replicated it throughout his body in the form of chakra pathways, these pathways act as additional seals, keeping the Kyuubi at bay by cycling its own chakra through them to strengthen themselves, letting nothing in or out. This is one of the reason's why the Kyuubi's chakra was able to be locked outside of Naruto's body. These gates closed in the presence of Kyuubi's chakra and the normal seal was wounded so badly that it was unable to let most of it back it. These additional pathways act as huge reservoirs of chakra for use by Naruto. However, Chakra depletion is far more fatal for Naruto now, as a reduction in too much chakra would be the equivalent of sending a person into shock. A kind of chakra shock. (If you want to know more about shock google it. If you're lazy review and I'll tell you what it is in the next chapter ;) )

Okay I think that's it for now. laterz!

P.S. on a side note, the opening flashback is based off a scene from my original fic Shield of Prophecy. I liked it so much that I had to write it in... I'm crazy like that :p Kinda disturbing though eh?


	3. Realignment

Well, here's the next chapter, enjoy!

HarbingerLady: Eh, it's fanfiction, details details... ah well. Despite my inadequacies, I hope you enjoy the new chapter!

Firelordeg: well... we'll see...

Standard disclaimer here.

* * *

Naruto: Keeper of the Seal

Chapter 2

Realignment

Hyuuga Neji, Hyuuga Hinata, and Umino Iruka certainly made a fine trio, marching down the streets of Konoha as if on mission from the Hokage herself. Of course, their task was not an enviable one. They were each being forced to go to Ichiraku ramen at the same time as Uzumaki Naruto.

It would be a rush for the door when food was over.

Naruto, for most of his life, had not paid for a single bowl of ramen at the stand, but instead, tricked other people into paying for him. If people had realized this amazing skill they might have changed their view about his shinobi abilities. However, to those that noticed, it was nothing but a large headache and a considerably larger dent in their wallets.  
Meanwhile, Naruto was consuming enough Ramen to put a dent in Kakashi's 401k plan, if he had one. Shinobi don't really have 401k's considering the fact that the death rate on a shinobi is high, and there is no point in saving money for retirement.

But that's beside the point.

After his 25th bowl, Naruto had begun to slow down. That was when Kakashi's three 'guests' showed up. Hinata made a beeline for the stool farthest from Naruto, in the hopes that she would be able to evade his eyes, while being able to keep a discreet eye on him. Neji sighed and dropped into the stool next to Hinata, while Iruka was forced to take the seat next to Naruto, who was still too absorbed in his food to notice the change in scenery. They each ordered a bowl, then sat waiting for Naruto to notice anything.

Naruto's lack of perception had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that he couldn't hear anything around him. In fact, with his bloodline active, he could pretty much pick up anything going on around him. The problem is, all that supernatural sense was being put to use in examining every molecule of the ramen he was eating. Thus, Naruto had a _very_ good meal, which could have killed him if anyone who even knew not to hold a knife by its blade had wandered along.

Of course, Mr. Ichiraku would have warned Naruto of any would be assassins, if for nothing more than the fact that Naruto was his main source of income.

Yet, even Naruto's highly focused senses can be diverted by the infamous cough. Iruka did such. Naruto, slightly annoyed at this distraction, looked over and paused. His eyes doubled the pace of their shifting as his bloodline took in everything about Iruka, what he knew about him, his suspicions, even the scar on his face told a few stories to Naruto's eyes.

"That scar didn't come from a blade..." Naruto said.

Iruka stared at him. Opened his mouth, then closed it again. Before he could even think about a response to that, Naruto tackled him to the ground.

"THANK YOU SO MUCH IRUKA-SENSEI!" he yelled, hugging the man fiercely.

Iruka, still in shock from Naruto's statement, just sat there blinking. Neji and Hinata stared at the blond as well, wondering what in the world he was doing.

"Your... Welcome?" Iruka said uncertainly.

Naruto didn't reply. You see, when Naruto looked at Iruka his bloodline had cycled all the information about the man through his brain, picking apart his true intentions and motives for all the things he had done. After a few seconds, it had come to the conclusion that Iruka really did care for him, probably more than anyone other than the third Hokage. Naruto had always lived with the doubt that Iruka was merely kind to him on an order, or to get close to him for a kill. But now he knew, and it made him the happiest person in the world, or Konoha at least.

The happiest man in the world was at the moment eating some corn chips, nacho cheese flavor.

But other than that, Naruto was the happiest man around.

When Naruto had looked at Iruka his bloodline had gone in to overdrive because of the amount of information it was trying to process, and now it was slowing down, only cycling through a color every four to five seconds. His mind was still working on his memories, but at a slower pace than it had before. This spared Neji and Hinata the power of Naruto's bloodline when he finally let go of Iruka and turned his eyes towards them as he and Iruka slowly got up.

"You're not going to... hug me are you?" Neji asked, slowly edging away from Naruto.

"What?! Why would I hug you?" Naruto asked

"I'm not sure, but considering your condition... and your previous actions, I think it's safer if I stand over here and prepare a Kaiten just in case."

Naruto snorted "Suit yourself."

Hinata noticed Naruto's eyes and gasped, "Naruto, your eyes..."

Naruto got a confused look on his face, then caught a glimpse of himself in Neji's headband. He stared.

Naruto had never seen his bloodline active before. He thought that his eyes might bug out like the Byakugan, or maybe the would go swirly... but this was interesting. He blinked several times, but that didn't seem to change his eyes back.

"Ummmmm, Kakashi... how am I supposed to deactivate this bloodline?"

Kakashi stared at him for a second, "What, you're not doing anything?"

"No, I'm just sitting here, it's doing stuff on its own."

"Wait, Naruto has a bloodline?!" The three newcomers questioned, minus Hinata, who thought it.

Kakashi sighed and grabbed Naruto, "Alright, let's go, Iruka, you are dismissed, don't tell anyone about this, you two, follow me."

Iruka shrugged and disappeared in a swirl of leaves, leaving the rest of them in the middle of the street. Kakashi showed his seal to Ichiraku and told him to send the bill to the natural disasters division of the Hokage's office, then led them back to the training ground.

Neji and Hinata immediately began analyzing Naruto like a... thing to be analyzed. Neji activated his Byakugan and got an even greater shock.

"What do you see Neji?" Kakashi asked as Hinata also activated her Byakugan.

Neji 'glanced' at Kakashi, then focused his vision on Naruto, "It's incredible. Naruto's chakra pathways are everywhere, there must be at least two kilometers of them total running through his body, and the number of tenketsu... If I didn't know it was Naruto I would tell you that I was looking at ten people standing behind each other. What is this?"

"That Neji is an S-Class secret of Konohagakure. You are not permitted to reveal this information to anyone. Also, I need you to inform Hiashi that it is a criminal offense to perform the Byakugan around Uzumaki Naruto."

Neji didn't bother to respond, but continued to examine Naruto. His chakra spiraled in hypnotic patterns throughout his body. The pathways were clearly skewed though, as if it had been put together hastily, and he could tell that they were still... growing. Yet, the most remarkable thing about his chakra was that when it reached his head it traveled through an even more complex series of pathways, changing color and texture as it went. He could clearly see larger concentrations in certain areas of the head, and he definitely noted the change from blue chakra to a myriad of other colors in the eyes.

Before Neji could ask any more questions, Kakashi spoke up, "Alright, enough of that, I called you both here because I need your help with Naruto's training. Like I said before, this is an S-class secret, so no telling your friends. The Byakugan has a more advanced perception ability than the Sharingan. I believe that the Kaigan has the ability to bring that to a whole new level, as exhibited by it's ability to see the truth, among many other abilities which it will manifest as it continues to evolve."

Neji and Hinata listened with rapt attention as Kakashi explained the theory behind Naruto's new bloodline while Naruto tried to deactivate his bloodline. After several minutes Kakashi finished his explanation, Naruto had made no progress whatsoever. Hinata and Neji examined a disgruntled Naruto as he sat on the ground pouting.

"First, I'm going to need your help realigning Naruto's chakra pathways, his incident has left him without the ability to use any jutus whatsoever. With the aid of the Kaigan I believe this should take a relatively short amount of time. Naruto, I want you to do whatever it is you did during tree climbing exercise, except this time with your hands. Hinata, Neji, you are each going to take one hand and use your Jyuuken to 'push' the pathways back into place."

Naruto held out his hands and the two Hyuugas stood by each one, Hinata going beet red at the thought of touching Naruto's hand. Naruto focused the chakra in his body towards his hands, then felt for the way it should be, his Kaigan flashed through another set of colors, analyzing the problem and creating a solution. He closed his eyes for a second, then refocused the chakra he had sent flowing through his hands, then stopped it. Naruto waited for a second, then slowly every organ in his body cried out in pain.

Naruto, with the aid of his Kaigan, had literally stopped the flow of chakra through his body, permanently.

Naruto screamed in pain and fell to the ground, clutching his chest, heart trying to beat wildly, but failing. Neji and Hinata stared in disbelief, it was like all of the chakra in Naruto's body had just suddenly stopped flowing. Although this was helpful for dispelling illusions normally, the standstill of chakra in Naruto's body seemed to be longer than just the instant required to notice any genjutsu in the area.

Kakashi had felt something go wrong the instant Naruto had tried to fix his hands. The new Naruto constantly emitted a tremendous amount of presence, mainly due to his larger chakra reserves, and partially, Kakashi suspected, to the Kaigan. However, when Naruto had focused his chakra, Kakashi had instantly felt that presence fall away, as if a great weight were being lifted from his shoulders. But the most frightening thing of all was the fact that Kakashi could feel Naruto's chakra potential building rapidly, even as he rolled on the ground in pain.

Thinking quickly, he snatched the other two gennin under his arms and sprinted.

In terms of speed, Kakashi has been considered quicker than the eye can see, but even his great speed would not be enough to escape what was to come. Before Kakashi could get 50 meters away from Naruto, he felt the air around him surge. Acting quickly, he dove and threw the two genin under a large root nearby, grabbing on himself before the onslaught hit.

Naruto felt all of his considerable chakra reserves seize up, then explode. Several dozen of Naruto's tenketsu broke as chakra erupted from his body in a highly pressurized spray. Along with the chakra also went a fair amount of blood, spraying a bloody mist all over the clearing. Naruto screamed in agony as he felt his body being torn apart from within by the tsunami of chakra whirling through it.

The Kaigan flew through a series of colors, stabilizing the roaring chakra through Naruto's body and focusing it towards his hands. Naruto felt the tearing pain in his body flow directly to his hands, and pressure began to build. With a terrible ripping noise, Naruto's hands were stripped to the bone. Naruto cried out in agony, his eyes fixed with horror on the spirals of chakra holding the bones of his hands together. The Kaigan flared brilliantly and turned red as it channeled the Kyuubi's youkai into Naruto's body, directing it towards his hands. In a matter of seconds the red chakra replaced the blue which had been holding his hands together. Layers of muscle grew into place and within another few seconds, Naruto's hands were as good as new. Naruto curled up in a ball, tears leaking from his eyes, and pain raging through his body. The Kaigan flickered and died, Naruto's eyes returning to their cerulean blue, then the world went black.

Kakashi opened his eyes, letting go of the root he had been holding on to, he saw that Hinata had fainted, and ordered Neji to take her home. Neji nodded and took off, unconscious Hinata in hand, leaving Kakashi at ground zero. Kakashi sighed, then turned back to the destruction. The explosion of chakra which Naruto had released had caused a ten meter wide crater to appear around the boy, and sent some nearby training logs through a set of boulders at the far edge of the clearing. Along with that, everything within 50 meters was coated in a fine layer of Naruto's blood.

"Tsunade is going to kill me..." Kakashi said.

XXXXXX

Naruto's true clone looked around at the mess that had been created by Naruto's last adventure with his bloodline. The sewer which made up most of Naruto's mind had been completely demolished. The place had sprung leaks from the overhanging pipes, and several sections of the wall had collapsed, allowing the filthy sludge to seep out into the abyss which lay beyond Naruto's thoughts.

_**"Are you sure he can survive the Kaigan?" **_A voice asked from the shadows.

The true clone turned, "Naruto is far more resilient than you will ever know Kyuubi. You haven't seen his true mettle yet. Naruto still holds to the mask which held him back so long ago. Once he lets go of that the Kaigan will no longer be able to harm him, and along with that, you."

_**"This pitiful brat? He will never master the Kaigan, that is why I gave it to him. I decided that if I could not have freedom, this boy would lose his sanity. Look at him, curled up and weeping. His mind will not survive this."**_

Naruto's true clone closed it's eyes for a second, then they flashed open, the Kaigan burning within them, "Do not trifle with us Kyuubi. The gift you have given us can destroy you just as easily as it destroyed Naruto's hands."

_**"As chilling as that sounds, must I remind you that the boy and I are now inseperably joined. If you destroyed me he would die, and you know what happens when he dies."**_

"I have no fear of the endless void Kyuubi, and neither does Naruto fear death. If he did not have a destiny to fulfill, I would do it right now."

Kyuubi's eyes narrowed, _**"You wouldn't... at least, not without Naruto. If you tried it alone you would risk freeing me."**_

"My character is not that weak Kyuubi, I am Naruto, without the impediment of his mask. Combined with the power of the Kaigan, I would annihilate you."

The Kyuubi laughed, then retreated, leaving a few words, _**"Well, don't bother with me, I think you have a new resident"**_

The true clone's eyes widened. He turned and caught sight of a slight ripple in the air. The true clone ducked behind some fallen rubble and watched as another Naruto appeared. This one had long red and blond hair. Where Naruto's cerulean eyes would have been, sat two red hot coals, which burned with an eerie inner light. Before the true clone could do anything, the new Naruto hurled a Kunai at him. The true clone caught it in the air and stepped out from behind the rubble.

"Rage. Calm yourself." the true clone commanded, Kaigan flashing.

The newcomer instantly relaxed, settling into a easy stance, still not entirely off his feet.

"Ohhh boy, I can't believe this one was spawned, Naruto, why can't you have the nice ones appear first?" The true clone asked.

* * *

Introducing, Kakashi's notes. This is the section where Kakashi writes down his new notes on Naruto's advancing bloodline 

Kakashi's Notes:

Kaigan: It seems as is the name of this ability is more than what it seems. Seeking the truth, refers not only to Naruto's ability to see through all manner of lies, and potentially, genjutsu. It also outlines the path to what I have begun to call the true form. The true form is the perfect body, mind, and spirit of the user of the Kaigan. As such, the Kaigan has the ability to direct the functions of the body, including muscle growth, heart rate, and chakra flow, among other, even more impressive and incredible abilities. When the user attempts to change their body in a way that their mind believes will make them stronger, or the Kaigan believes will bring them closer to the true form, the Kaigan steps in and accelerates the pace. This acceleration can often be harmful to the user, and often creates results far beyond the user's original intentions, and often, they are violent and uncontrollable. The troubling thing is, is that when the Kaigan begins a process, it doesn't let up, no matter how much pain the user is in. I've begun to think that the Kaigan may be semi-sentient, or at least, the form Naruto has is picking up on the Kyuubi's influence. Whatever it is, the Kaigan, unlike the Byakugan or Sharingan, does not chain itself to the users will once it has been activated, but goes off on it's own path.

A side note, the Kaigan appears to have a limited capacity for sensing the truth, and once it fills that capacity, the truth sensing portion of it's abilities seem to burn out. I believe this may be due to the fact that the Kaigan has come to him so late in life, and in a life which is full of lies. Once the Kaigan breaks down all the lies in Naruto's mind, and becomes accustomed to the people he knows, it will probably cease to 'burn out' so to speak. For now, I believe it has the capacity to 'decode' one person who Naruto has intimate knowledge of every 12 hours, as it must deal with an overload of information from Naruto's mind and from that person's actions. People who Naruto just meets are not subject to this problem, as he has no previous stockpile of information about them, and therefore, the Kaigan does not have to process it all.


	4. Dead for a While

Standard disclaimer thing.

Okay, sorry for the delay guys, haven't had much to write about lately, and so, without any further ado (is that what they call it now?) I present, KotS chapter 3!

* * *

Naruto: Keeper of the Seal  
Chapter 3  
Dead for a While

White... Sterile... Bright...

Naruto's eyes blinked open, taking in the hospital room around him. He felt the world pulse around him in concert with the sharp pain running through his head.

"Oh Kami... my head hurts." Naruto grumbled, throwing back his blanket.

He threw his legs over the side of the bed and debated whether to try standing. Every centimeter of his body was burning in pain, especially his hands. He looked down at the limbs which had been recreated, noticing that the fingers were slightly shorter and the fingernails longer and tougher, ending in a slight point. Naruto clenched his fist, and felt a burst of pain flow through his arms as the muscles protested.

Naruto finally decided to go for it, and jumped out of the hospital bed. As soon as his feet touched the ground the muscles turned to jelly, Naruto gave out a startled cry and fell to the ground, face first. Naruto heard the door open and someone hurried in. He saw a pair of feet appear next to him and a pair of hands lifted him up. A pair of green eyes framed by pink hair looked into his as he felt himself lifted up. Sakura smiled and hugged Naruto to her. Naruto smiled, feeling the warmth of Sakura's body and hugged her back, despite the jolts then went through his arms. A few seconds later Naruto's eyes flashed open, and he struggled to get away, Sakura dropped him and he fell to the ground, trying to brings his hands up to form hand seals.

Sakura's eyes quirked a little, "Naruto, what are you doing?"

Naruto struggled backwards, forming a cross seal

**Kage Bunshin  
**  
Several Naruto's appeared, each one also on the ground, struggling to get up and apprehend Sakura. Sakura just stared at them and laughed.

"Who are you! Sakura doesn't have the strength to lift me! and Sakura doesn't dress like that either." Naruto said, still trying to get away.

"Naruto... you've been out for 6 months... a few things have changed."

Naruto stared at her, "WHAT!!! Six months! Why didn't you wake me up?"

"We tried to."

Naruto blinked and looked down at his body, now he understood why he couldn't move, six months of bed would have completely ruined his muscles, and any form of strength he had. Now that he examined his body more closely he realized that his skin was noticeably paler than it usually was, and his frame was not as well muscled as it had been. He moved his fingers slowly, feeling the stiffness in the muscles and joints slowly work away.

"I need to get back to training!" He said resolutely, his clones bursting into smoke.

Sakura watched as Naruto hauled himself to his feet and headed for the door. Just as he was about to open it, she calmly walked over, picked him up, and settled him back on the bed. He tried to struggle out of her grip, but once again, through a combination of him being weaker, and Sakura being slightly stronger than she was before, he wasn't able to break her grip.

"Sakura-chan! What are you doing! I need to go train so that I can get stronger!" Naruto protested.

"Naruto, I may only be a medic-nin in training, but I can tell that you're far too weak to be going anywhere, especially the type of training that you would subject your body to." Sakura replied, reaching for the straps on the bed, "Now, do I have to strap you down, or are you going to wait for Tsunade's approval to leave...?"

Naruto quickly consented to staying. After he had calmed down, and was settle in, Sakura took a seat beside him.

"So... Naruto. How are you? We haven't talked since..."

Naruto hung his head slightly, "I'm sorry Sakura-chan... I should have been stronger, I slipped, and then it was all over... just one slip."

Sakura sighed and looked down, "Naruto, I've already forgiven you for that. The first month you were here, I visited you only once, and that was to see if I could spot what was wrong with you, not out of caring. But later, I realized that you were the only one who cared. Everyone else was sorry that Sasuke had gone, but you were the one who cared about what it made me feel like, and so, I've been here twice a week checking on you. I tried to wake you up with several techniques that Tsunade has taught me, but nothing worked, it seems like you had to wake up on your own."

"Obaa-chan is teaching you? WOW! that's incredible Sakura, you'll be the best medic-nin ever."

Sakura smiled and opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by movement at the door. She turned and got up just as Tsunade entered the room, holding clip board and looking rather harassed.

"Kami! This is the third time this week that the council has tried to get me to pull the plug on Naruto... Sakura, how's he doing?" Tsunade asked, not bothering to look up from her clip board.

"Why don't you look yourself?" Sakura asked.

"I would do a full diagnostic, but I don't have the time, what are his vitals? Hurry up, I have things to do."

Sakura shared a look with Naruto, both of them silently laughing. Naruto sat up and inhaled deeply.

"GOOD MORNING OBAA-CHAN!" He yelled.

Tsunade, gave a squeak and jumped into the air. Naruto let out a tremendous whoop of laughter, while Sakura giggled slightly, the Hokage glared at both of them for a moment before settling her face into a warm smile. She walked over to Naruto and hugged him, almost crushing his thin form. Naruto returned the hug, trying his best to not suffocate, or to break any bones. Of course, there was no danger in that, Tsunade knew exactly how much pressure to apply to cause the runt a little discomfort, but not seriously injure him, so she held to embrace for a few seconds until it was almost painful, then let go.

"How are you feeling Naruto?" She asked.

"Eh, I'm fine Obaa-chan, just a little weak. I need to get training so that I can become strong again!" He declared determinedly.

Tsunade smiled again and pushed him down into his bed, "You need to start slowly Naruto, I'm going to prescribe some medicines for you, and a training schedule. Wait here for a few minutes. Sakura, keep him company while I handle this."

Tsunade left the two genin alone and went off to get Naruto's things in order. Sakura filled Naruto in on the happenings of the last six months. Jiraiya had left after a month of waiting, saying that he was going to gather more information on the organization called Akatsuki, promising to return before the end of the year to take Naruto on a training mission. Naruto suspected that this training would also involve a closer analysis of his bloodline by the toad Sannin, and the thought of being analyzed by Konoha's Super Pervert wasn't exactly an appealing idea, but the training was enough to get Naruto's mouth watering. Kakashi was currently out on a mission, and wouldn't be back for a week or so, due to the nature of said mission. Rookie nine and team Gai had continued to grow during Naruto's coma, Sakura didn't have exact details, but she was fairly certain that Chouji, Ino, Shino, Neji, Tenten, and Rock Lee were at or above Chuunin level, and preparing for the upcoming Chuunin exam.

"Chuunin exam!" Naruto yelled, "I really need to get training! How will I be able to participate if I'm too weak to move?!"

"That's not your main problem Naruto. _Our_ main problem is the fact that we don't have a third team member, after..." Sakura said.

Naruto's face scrunched up, "Then how are we supposed to become Chuunin... WAIT! They wouldn't keep us a Genin forever... would they?"

Sakura sighed, "No Naruto, Tsunade will probably assign us a team member from somewhere else, either a solo genin or a team that has two Chuunin, but only one Genin. Either way, we should be able participate in a month. That means you have plenty of time, so don't worry so much."

Tsunade re-entered the room carrying a large sack of bottles and a thick wad of papers. She handed Naruto four bottles, two of pills and two of liquid, then gave him a needle and a vial of clear liquid. She also handed him a scroll from the stack she was carrying.

"Alright, you need to take the pills three times a day, the liquids twice, and you need to inject yourself with that directly after every training session. This scroll outlines the training schedule you should follow in order to prepare yourself for the next chuunin exams. Any questions?"

Naruto eyed the vial, "What is this?"

"It's a special mixture which I developed, it will shut down your Kaigan and enhance the growth of your muscles."

Sakura did not flinch at this news, so Naruto assumed that Tsuande had already told her of his new abilities. He took the proffered materials and eyed them, trying to keep them as far from him as possible while still holding them.

"Does it... taste bad?" He asked.

Tsunade hit him on the head, "Baka! of course it does, it's medicine!"

"Okay okay... just stop hitting me. Can I go now?"

Tsunade sighed and nodded. Naruto formed his hands into the ram seal and focused the chakra in his body to his legs, then bounced out the window, running to the nearest training ground. Sakura and Tsunade just sighed and went back to work.

XXXXXX

Naruto was laying on his back in the middle of training ground 13, chest heaving, muscles aching, and eyes ablaze with his new power. The Kaigan was lazily swimming through a mirage of colors, passively examining the area and relaying the truth of everything he was seeing. For instance, the bird in that tree was not merely sitting and twittering, it was calling for its mate. Naruto was sure that he could get the gist of the birdsong, and filed that away for further use in his studies of his new ability. The Kaigan noted this and processed the information in his brain.

Naruto's true clone strolled over to him, holding up the vial and needle, carefully measuring out a dosage and kneeling next to the blonde.

"You're sure about this, it means that you won't be able to summon me until the effects have worn off."

"Yeah, just do it, you should know, you're me."

"Not exactly... I explained that to you."

"Ah yes. I think I was dozing during that session."

The true clone sighed, "Look Naruto, we're here to help you, we _are_ you, but we can't help you if you don't help yourself. Speaking of us, why didn't you tell them about our time together?"

"What? Tell them that I spent the last six months of my life living for 2 years in my head, training with myself and my shattering personalities. That would go over well."

"Those aren't your shattered personalities, they're the Kaigan's interpretation of your aspects made into sentient beings who live inside of you. Besides, there's only three of them right now."

"Yeah, Rage, Deception, and whatever that other guy is."

"That's Insanity..."

"Yes... I can see the conversation with Tsunade right now... I spent the last six months of my life training inside my head. WITH MY INSANITY!!!"  
The true clone sighed, "Remember Naruto, with the Kaigan you control that aspect of yourself, you can let it out or cage it up with a whim. Even me, your Prime, can be destroyed with the power that you now hold. Although I wouldn't suggest either of those paths, locking away something of yourself lessens who you are. Remember that Naruto, especially with this drug, it might make you stronger, but it will take something more important than strength away, what makes you human."

Naruto nodded in assent, then held out his arm. The true clone jabbed him and injected the fluid. Instantly, the bunshin began to fade.

"See you on the other side!" it called, disappearing in a haze of smoke, instead of the usual puff.

Naruto felt a strange numbness steal across his mind. He couldn't feel the presence of his Prime, or any of the others sitting inside his head. He also noticed that the world stopped making sense, and the birdsong reverted to just that, birdsong. Naruto sighed and took a look at himself in his forehead protector, looking once again into the cerulean depths of his birth eyes. Even as his greater perception of the world faded he felt his normal thoughts jog back into action. When the Kaigan activated, Naruto could feel his usually hectic thoughts die down, and a sense of focus overcame his usually hyperactive personality. But now, he felt a return of the thoughts that usually existed in his mind, and yet, even these we strangely shaded, as if muted by some force.

"Well... this is new." Naruto said, rubbing his head, trying to clear the light fog that had fallen over his mind.

As he spoke, he felt the secondary effect of the injection take effect. The tension in his muscles suddenly gave way to a wave of lethargy, stealing away the pain in them while taking all of his energy. He yawned and closed his eyes, preparing to take a short nap before going anywhere. Seconds later, he was snoring in a deep sleep.

No sooner had he dropped off than a group of people marched into the clearing. Several of the newcomers wore masks, and those who didn't might as well have been, for all the emotion that they were showing towards the boy. An old man approached the boy and jabbed him with his cane, when Naruto didn't react he nodded to one of the ninja in a bear mask. The ninja took up the blond jinchuuriki and dashed off into the distance, followed by all but one of the unmasked ninja and the old man.

"Do you really think this will work Danzo-sama?" asked the black haired ninja.

Danzo just smiled and put a hand on the boy's shoulder, looking deep into his eyes, "Of course Sai, you should really not question me so much, your training isn't complete, and nothing but complete loyalty will help you move towards the protection of the roots of this great village."

Sai lowered his eyes and nodded his assent, before dashing after the retreating shinobi. Danzo turned to the memorial stone which stood nearby the boy's training area. The ground around it had been damaged severely, yet the blond had taken careful measures to protect the stone itself.

Danzo approached the stone and knelt before it, "I'm sorry Yondaime-sama, but this must be done, for the good of Konoha. If there were another way to protect our village I would take that path, but this must be the way." He paused as if listening to someone speak, "I know you won't understand, a tool will slowly loose what makes it human, but this boy will be the sacrifice that protects us all, a jinchuuriki if you will. After all, the power of human sacrifice is the greatest of all."

Danzo rose and turned away from the monument, coming face to face with a fairly large dog and its master. Danzo didn't even flinch as the dog, about knee height, gave a warning growl. The boy with the dog could not be mistaken for anyone other than Inuzuka Kiba, and the boy next to him was definitely a member of the Aburame clan, Shino by his size. Shino adjusted his sunglasses slighty, a sign which Danzo knew was an unspoken question in the Aburame body speech. The Inuzuka on the other hand was far more direct.

"Hey old man! What'd your cronies do with Naruto? Are you a friend of that Snake?!!

Danzo laughed slightly and turned away from the Inuzuka, "You should really respect your elders dog boy, or something bad might happen to you."

Kiba fell into a defensive stance as Danzo's chakra flared for a second. The old man whiled around, hands already flashing through a set of seals. Shino's bugs erupted in a cloud around him, racing at the man, while Akamaru attempted to shield Kiba from the incoming jutsu.

**Katon, Goukakyou no jutsu  
**  
A massive fireball erupted from the man's mouth, burning the incoming insects out of the air while forcing the two shinobi and Akamaru to dodge. As the fireball dissipated, Shino and Kiba readied themselves for an attack that would be hidden by the momentary smoke cloud that followed any Katon jutsu. When no attack came, the two shinobi glanced at each other and settled slightly, still wary of any incoming attack that might appear from the smoke cloud.  
As the smoke cleared, no sign of the old man could be seen.

"Agh! He used the jutsu as a cover! Shino, how come you didn't follow him?!" Kiba yelled

Shino just looked at him for a second before sighing, "We should go report this to Hokage-sama, if Naruto is in trouble, she'll want to know right away."  
"Yeah! Hey, what do you reckon was up with Naruto's eyes while he was training?"

"I'm not quite sure..."

Kiba, Shino, and Akamaru took to the treetops as they headed towards the Hokage's tower, avoiding the paths and people that might block their way to the large structure in the middle of the village. They ran up the side of the tower, racing towards the open window that served as a view for the Hokage's office. Kiba reached the window first, and, finding it locked, instantly began hammering on the chakra reinforced glass. Shino arrived a moment later, pushing Kiba aside and calmly sliding the window open, Kiba could almost feel the smirk that must be adorning Shino's inner self as he calmly stepped into the Hokage's office.

"Kiba, Shino, what are you two doing?" Tsunade asked, glancing over the pile of paperwork that was sitting on her desk.

"Tsunade-sama, Naruto has been taken by a group of shinobi who appear to be of Konoha origins. What is the meaning of this?" Shino asked calmly.

Kiba butted in before Tsunade could reply, "And who was the old man who used that katon jutsu against us?"

Tsunade's eyes widened, "How did he... never mind. You two, gather up Hyuuga Hinata, Neji, and Hiashi, as well as any other ninja you think will stand by Naruto in a confrontation. Move!"

Kiba and Shino saluted with a pair of hai's and disappeared. Tsunade took out her emergency bottle of sake and took a large gulp, then hid it away again. She then withdrew a scroll from her desk and scribbled some writing on it. She called for Shizune and had the girl deliver it to the ANBU Root headquarters immediately, then waited for the two genin to return. In about a half hour Shino, Kiba, Sakura, Hiashi, Hinata, Iruka, Neji and the rest of team gai stood before her.

"This is everyone?" Tsunade prompted.

Shino nodded, "Everyone else is out on missions. Kakashi is supposed to be back in a few hours, but I didn't think you would want to wait."

Tsunade nodded, feeling slightly unsettled by how few people she had with her, after all, storming the ANBU Roots HQ would be a daunting task with an army of ninja, let alone this small squad. Yet, because of the ties between the normal ANBU and the Roots she couldn't call on help from that quarter. However, she still had one ace in the hole, and she had played that when she sent the scroll to the Roots headquarters. You see, even though the Roots was not under the direct command of the Hokage, the leader of the village could still call for up to 50 of the Roots members to be positioned at any given gate in the case of an emergency. The fact that Naruto had been kidnapped technically counted as an emergency, and she could swing it with the council later, she even felt that she might not have to reveal Naruto's bloodline if she went from the Akatsuki infiltrating Roots HQ angle. The council had begun to fear Akatsuki lately, and although many of them hated Naruto, they would rather kill themselves than allow the most powerful criminal organization to get their hands on the nine-tailed bijuu.

Tsunade took a look at her small army, then stood up from her seat. Having the Hokage, and one of the three legendary Sannin at that, leading them should give them some punch in getting into the Roots headquarters.

"Alright everyone, what we are going to be doing is intensely dangerous, not only in terms of physical danger, but also of political danger. Each of you is to wear one of these masks so that your identities cannot be discovered, if your mask becomes damaged, leave the battlefield at once, I will have Shizune standing by with a couple dozen spares, see her to get a new one. Remember, your identities must remain secret, so no signature moves. The Hyuuga's can use their byakugan and jyuuken, but nothing flashy like Kaiten, Kiba, leave Akamaru here and use whatever techniques you can without him."

As each member of the party put on a mask, their images seemed to blur a little, and become that of a nondescript ANBU member, minus that usual sword that most ANBU carried.

"Everyone follow me, don't attack unless you are attacked." Tsunade ordered before turning and leaping out the window.

The others followed her down the side of the hokage tower, across the rooftops, and then up the face of the Hokage cliff. At the very top, Tsunade stopped for a second, looking over the village. She spotted a small disturbance by the west gate, nodded, and proceeded along the top of the cliff. She approached another shorter cliff face and reared her fist back and delivered a shattering blow to the wall. The cliff face "shattered" or at least, what had appeared to be the cliff face. The area which Tsunade had broken was actually a cleverly disguised door, made to look like a part of the cliff wall. A surprised looking ANBU Roots member was peppered with small bits of debris, throwing him back a few feet.

"What is going on here?!" Yelled a voice from further down the tunnel.

"INTRUDERS!" The downed ANBU yelled.

The 11 rescuers heard movement down the hallway and readied themselves for battle.

**Katon, Karyuu Endan!  
**  
Hinata, who had been training for the last six months, reacted instantly.

**Suiton, Junsai!**

A small water bottle that the Hyuuga had taken to carrying around with her released a torrent of water, creating a shield over the group as the fire dragon bore down on them. An angry hissing filled the air as the jutsu's battled for dominance. The Hyuuga formed more hand seals, channeling her chakra through the flowing symbols.

**Jouki Bakuha!  
**  
The steam created by the two colliding techniques exploded inwards, saturating the cavern beyond the rescuers with superheated water. Several screams were heard, causing Hinata to shudder a little.

Before congratulations could be given, a blast of wind blew the devastating jutsu out of the corridor. The group were scalded slightly as the cooling mist swept past them, but no serious injuries occurred. Without further delay, Tsunade charged forwards. Hinata's jutsu had left about a dozen ANBU root members on the ground, skin red and blistering. The few who tried to put up a fight were left unconscious by a few simple taijutsu attacks from the rescuers.

The source of the wind was actually a small configuration of seals, each labeled wind, carefully placed in strategic areas around the corridor to create a wind funnel, to counter any mist based jutsu used in the area. It had worked, if only slightly, as shown by the injured members of the defenders. Tsunade studied these for a moment before carrying on down the hallway. The headquarters was mostly deserted, due to many missions which Danzou sent his group out on, and the emergency decree by Tsunade.

"Shino!" Tsunade commanded.

Shino nodded, a group of bugs bursting from under his cloths and out into the winding corridors.

A few minutes later he nodded, "I've found him Tsunade."

"Lead the way, we haven't got much time left."

XXXXXX

Naruto awoke once more, blinking the mucus from his eyes, trying to see where he was now. He was sure he wasn't in the forest, the ground here felt too rough, and besides, there was no sunlight. He felt sure that he had not slept for more than a few hours, then again, the medicine might be throwing off his Kaigan's ability to read his biological clock. It was funny, ever since the Kaigan had awakened in him, he had not needed a clock to tell the time. Even better was the fact that he woke up when he wanted, not in the face of a blaring alarm. Naruto assumed the Kaigan had the ability to tell time, what he didn't know was that the Kaigan actually had the ability to measure his heartbeat, breathes, and cellular division on such a scale that it could keep time just by examining those factors.

Naruto sat up, looking around himself. He was in a holding cell somewhere, the dank cold of the area seeped into his body, creating a sort of lassitude in his muscles. He stood up on his aching legs and paced the cell, it was rather small, and he didn't think he would be able to pick the lock, considering the fact that he could feel the hum of chakra flowing through the bars. This however didn't stop him from trying, After all, he was Uzumaki Naruto, the most hyperactive ninja in Konoha. Heck, nothing had stopped him from doing anything else before, why now? When you're caged, the only way to go is out.

Naruto's hand darted for the gap between the bars, and was instantly reflected by a shock from the chakra flowing through the bars. Naruto yelped and pulled back. His fingertips were slightly blackened from the electricity that had jumped from the bars to his hand.

"GAH!! What kind of freak electrocutes bars, its like they're keeping someone inside!" He yelled, shaking his hand in an attempt to rid himself of the pain flowing through it.

Naruto heard a small chuckle from outside. He immediately became quiet, focusing his senses on the world beyond the bars. He spotted an old man sitting in a chair, cloaked by the shadows of the far side of the room. He snarled at the man.

"Let me out you bastard! Why am I in here?" Naruto yelled across the room.

"Ah, the language of youth. I think I won't Naruto, after all, once out here, you would have little reason to listen to my offer."

Naruto gave him a suspicious glance, "What offer? It seems to me like you're the one with the upper hand here, what could you want from me?"

"That is the most interesting thing young Uzumaki. What I want from you I cannot take, nor could you give it if you did not truly want to." Danzo paused, "What I want Naruto, is your loyalty."

Naruto barked with laughter, "You lock me up inside a cage and expect loyalty because of it, what kind of idiot do you think I am?"

"One who possesses a most remarkable ability. If you would activate your Kaigan, I would like to tell you something."

Naruto glared at him suspiciously, but felt there was no reason to not activate his Kaigan. His Kaigan had already expelled the last of the drug from his body, and he could feel the calming presence of his Prime in the back of his mind once more. Naruto closed his eyes for a second, focusing his chakra into his head. He felt the power of the Kaigan unlock as the chakra infused his brain, starting the chain reaction that filled him with the power to see truth. His eyes flashed open and he glared at the man. Looking deep into the man's eyes, Naruto caught an inkling of who Danzo really was, ruthless, deadly, cruel. Yet, above all that, Naruto felt something, an instinct which held all these other impulses in check. Naruto recognized it, it was loyalty, not to any one person, but to an idea, to a village which this man had sworn to protect. Danzo smiled as a confused expression came over Naruto's face.

"Now that you know why I am doing what I do, perhaps you would like to hear what I have to say?" Danzo asked.

"I'll listen." Naruto replied.

"Excellent. Naruto, I am the leader of an organization known as the Roots ANBU, we are the sworn protectors of Konoha and all of its laws and foundations. We are the enforcers of an ancient order, formed by the first Hokage himself, we exist outside the laws of this village, and as such, we can protect them with no hindrance whatsoever. Some have called us killers, others, traitors. But in truth, we are nothing more than protectors, much like yourself. You, a boy who was forced to take on the burden of the Kyuubi at such a young age, has protected Konoha his whole life, much like most of the members of this organization. I want you to join us Naruto, come, help us protect this great village from destruction. Be the greatest of all guardians Naruto, guard this village from everything that threatens to weaken in, from inside and out."

Naruto stared at the man. The Kaigan continued to flow lazily through a different set of colors, and Naruto could tell that the man was not lying. He _was_ a protector.

"Why should I join you Danzo, you have imprisoned me, and will only talk to me through bars. How am I supposed to follow someone who is a coward?"  
Danzo winced slightly, then snapped his fingers. The cell door flew open, leaving the ground between Danzo and Naruto open.

"There, a show of good faith. You are free to choose now Uzumaki, think of all the good you could do here! A warrior who can see through the deception of those who would bring us down, a hero who would defend Konoha to his last breath!" Danzo's voice had taken on a note of passion.

Naruto was finding it hard to find a reason not to join, everything the man said was true, and that was a hard thing to turn away from.

"I..."

XXXXXX

Tsunade sent another ninja flying with a roundhouse kick, embedding him in the rock wall. They had been fighting their way down a hallway that Shino claimed was the last obstacle to getting to Naruto. Shino himself was busy with another ninja, who, although he didn't know it, was being drained by a few choice kikai. Shino sent a powerful punch into the mans abdomen, and received a kneel to the chin in return. His head flew back, revealing his mouth for a second, then he slammed his forehead into the kneecap of the ninja, shattering the patella and causing the man to scream and collapse in pain.

Neji was standing over three disabled ANBU members, having slashed through several vital muscles, including the hamstrings and biceps of his opponents, receiving a few minor cuts in the process. Rock lee and Tenten were nearby, Tenten using a staff to knock out her opponents, while Rock Lee fought with his bare fists. Hinata and Hiashi stood side by side, each unleashing a storm of water jutsu on any opponent that came near enough to be a threat to the rear end of the column. Kiba was leading the charge next to Tsunade, utilizing his enhanced animal reflexes and strength to push through any ninja that got in his way, or distract them enough for Tsunade to beat them down.

As Tsunade finished the last ninja ahead, they came to a reinforced metal doorway. barely pausing to think, Tsunade unleashed a terrific punch upon the doorway. It flew inwards, knocking over half of the six ANBU waiting for them. The other three had little chance as the rest of the group piled in on them, taking them to the ground in a matter of seconds. Tsunade replaced the door as soon as they were through and sealed in in place with another powerful blow with bent the metal inwards. Sakura sighed and collapsed, completely drained from having to heal her friends and the enemies who were seriously injured. She was sure that almost all her chakra was gone, and the pain that flared through her body every few seconds reinforced that thought. Chakra exhaustion is not like muscle exhaustion, where some of your body hurts. No, chakra exhaustion is a lack of chakra in the body, and thus, a lack of life in the body. Sakura gulped down a soldier pill and was instantly restored, but more cautious now, seeing as how taking more than one soldier pill in a space of 3 hours could prove fatal.  
Tsunade glanced to the other side of the room, noting once again, that there was a door. This one was of solid oak, less sturdy than the previous, but more dungeony and evil looking. She tried the handle, it was open. As the door swung open, they were greeted with the sight of a smiling Danzo, and a caged Naruto.

"Good evening Hokage-sama, how can I help you?" Danzo asked accomodatingly.

"First off, you can let the gaki go." Tsunade replied evenly.

"Of course, seeing as how he has no further wish to be here, I see no reason to hold him. Naruto? ready to leave?"

Naruto nodded eagerly. Danzo snapped his fingers and the cage opened. Naruto leaped out and jumped onto Tsunade, eyes flashing.

"Obaa-chan! You saved me! quick, lets go get some ramen to celebrate!"

Tsunade hit him over the head, "Baka! We're saving you, we need to get out now."

"On the contrary Hokage-sama, I have ordered my men to step down. Did you think of knocking when you came in? Or perhaps sending me a message that didn't involve Konoha's immediate destruction?" Danzo asked wryly,"Oh well, I can only expect so much from you Tsunade. Please, take Naruto, we were just having a talk, I have no further need for him."

Tsunade was stunned by this, but her eyes narrowed, "What did you do to him?"

"Nothing, I merely told him the truth. Goodbye Tsunade, you will be escorted out, along with the boy."

At least four dozen ANBU Roots members appeared behind Danzo and took the rescuers and the rescuee to the front door and let them out.

On their way out, Tsunade got close enough to Hiashi to have a quiet word with him.

"Hiashi, what do you think?"

"Well, considering that Naruto is fine, and we were met with little to no force, and certainly no lethal force, and the fact that these ninja were in reserve, I believe we were merely being delayed."

"But delayed for what?" Tsunade asked him

"That I do not know."

* * *

No Kakashi's notes today, but I've got a few jutsu for you 

Suiton, Jansai (Water element, water shield): this technique focuses water into a barrier which protects the user and those around him/her from attacks that can be stopped by water. Due to its nature, water shield is most effective when used against fire jutsus, however, wind attacks can be stopped by it, and physical attacks can be slowed enough to prevent too much damage. The infusion of chakra into the shield prevents most chakra based attacks from piercing it, but it has relatively no effect of earth based attacks used against it. low C rank, one of the first water jutsus learned by suiton users.

Jouki Bakuha (Steam explosion): This jutsu gathers steam in the air and hyperaccelarate's it down a path directed by the user, creating a deadly funnel of superheated water vapor, causing third degree and upwards burns to flesh it touches. The main weakness of this techniques is the fact that it requires steam to be present in the air before it can actually be used, however, this makes it much easier to use, as a combination of fire and water elements is not needed in the users repretoire. low C rank, good in combination with defensive water techniques.


	5. Of Secrets and Sacrifices

Soooo, another chapter, another day... week... okay fine, month, whatever. You think you can write it, then do so ;)

Anyway, as much as I would love to respond to reviews, I'll be going to sleep now, seeing as its 3am. Yeah, see what I go through for you people :D

In general news, the pairing is still not decided, despite what you may read/hear from other people, so hah! I don't have any frikkin idea who Naruto's gonna hook up with, and I probably won't know until my hands touch the keys with the word like/love/kiss in them. Vile betraying hands!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, but I did pwn some guy in DOTA the other day who's name was HINATA... creepy huh?

* * *

Naruto: Keeper of the Seal  
Chapter 4  
Of Secrets and Sacrifice

_'482, 483, 484... 485!'_ Naruto counted viciously in his head.

Said teen was in the middle of a small clearing, serenaded by the gurgling of a nearby stream. The day had just begun to dawn, and a golden glow flowed over the orange jumpsuit and blond hair, granting him a halo of ethereal light. His eyes flowed through a myriad of colors, swimming and flowing like a vision in a dream. The grass around him was filled with the tang of life, awakening to the new day, and he could feel every one of them rejoicing in the light of the new dawn. A chorus of birds joined in with the silent contentment of the mighty barked giants that surrounded Naruto, a symphony of life beginning in the presence of daily rebirth, and hope that could never be extinguished by the darkest night.

_'500!!'_ Naruto half shouted, half thought, collapsing on his stomach.

Pain flowed through his tortured muscles, complaining against the great weight on his legs, arms and torso. He ignored these protests in favor of lying on his face, sucking in life giving breath like a sun crazed man drinks water. Naruto's morning workout had ended a few seconds ago. five-hundred pull-ups and push ups, a thousand sit ups and crunches, extensive water walking, and of course, running numerous laps around the large village which lay within a stone's cast of him. Of course for a ninja, a stone's cast could be anywhere from fifty feet to five-thousand yards, depending on the size of the stone.

Naruto groaned and managed to get himself into a sitting position. He removed the fifty pound weights on his arms and legs, along with the one-hundred pound weight around his torso, dropping them to the ground. He could never quite understand how Lee was able to keep them on all the time, such a feat was clearly a true mastery of pain control and endurance that even Naruto could to equal. Of course, as soon as Naruto thought this, his Kaigan began working on an answer, but could not find one with what little he knew of Rock Lee. Not that this bothered him, he expected this was something that Lee either didn't know, or didn't have any reason to tell anyone, and his Kaigan had told him long ago that Lee was a person who's hands he could lay his life in and not be afraid.

These Truth Visions had been popping up everywhere, and were revealing startling, confusing, and even dreadful things to him. For instance, there was one time when he saw Anko...

X Flashback X

_Naruto was in an interrogation room with Ibiki following his capture by the Roots ANBU. Tsunade had permitted Ibiki to examine him in case he wasn't the real Naruto, or they had place some sort of brainwashing technique on him. So far Ibiki had managed to dredge up nothing, and Naruto wasn't about to give him a reason to believe he was a tool of the Roots now, so he sat silently, awaiting the questioners words, not aware that the questioner was also waiting for him to cave and tell him something. After several more minutes of staring, Naruto finally became tired of the game, he stood up, turned and headed for the door._

"This is too boring Ibiki, why don't you just let me go? Your scariness wore off a while ago, and I know the Hokage won't let you do anything... unsavory to me, so why don't we just leave and call it a night?" Naruto asked sensibly.

"Because brat, I haven't found what I'm looking for!" Ibiki snarled, forcing the blond back into his chair.

In truth, Ibiki hoped with all his heart that this was the real, undamaged Naruto. His actions during the Chuunin exam had earned Naruto the respect of the scarred examiner, a respect that had only increased when Naruto had risked his life to protect his comrades by taking on the sand Jinchuuriki, and his actions during the aborted attempt to bring Uchiha Sasuke back.

"That's because there's nothing to find!!" Naruto yelled in frustration.

"Prove it to me then!" yelled back, slamming his fist into the table.

Naruto growled and his Kaigan flared to life. Ibiki startled at the change in Naruto's eyes, and reached for a weapon, suspecting an attack from the Naruto look-alike. He knew _that there was no bloodline like that in Konoha, so he simply assumed that this was not in fact Naruto, but some ninja pretending to be him... pretending to be him very well._

However, before he could to anything else, Naruto looked into his eyes, and muttered under his breath.

_**Houwotoku  
**__  
Ibiki suddenly felt the world around him sharpen in focus, and he realized that this _was _Naruto. He didn't know how, but he somehow knew, simple as that. All the doubts that had plagued him were gone, and he immediately headed to the door, ready to let Naruto out. However, the pessimist in Ibiki lashed out, forcing him to reexamine the situation. This boy, whoever he was, had just used a jutsu on him, and he felt like he knew the boy instantly. This was not natural, and, instead of opening the door, he called out:_

"Anko! Come in here, the prisoner is uncooperative!"

Naruto stared at him open mouthed, before regaining his composure, "I just showed you the truth! What the heck is wrong with you Ibiki!"

Ibiki snorted, "What you did could have been anything. Now that you've used a justsu on me, I'm forced to call in aid."

A moment later, the second Chuunin examiner walked in. Naruto shuddered at her face, before he realized that something far more horrible was wrong with her. A creeping black blight seemed to be creeping along her skin, and a disturbingly large, if insubstantial snake wound it's way around her, attempting to crush her. She seemed not to notice either of these things, neither did Ibiki. Yet, of all the things, this was not the most disturbing. The worst was the two pale yellow eyes that were silhouetted against the dark doorway, looking over her shoulders. Naruto cried out and fell back.

Both Anko and Ibiki looked on in surprise and watched as Naruto pressed himself against the wall, struggling to remove the shackles that held him bound. Anko attempted to approach him, but he let loose a canine growl and hunched over, his eyes flashing to a dangerous red.

_**Shinko Bunshin, Deru Ikari!  
**__  
The red in Naruto's eyes vanished, and a puff of smoke revealed a blond and red haired Naruto, his eyes glowing like angry red coals. This Naruto wore a coat similar to Ibiki's, lined with blood red fabric, what little of the clothing that could be seen underneath was what appeared to be a tattered version of Naruto's jumpsuit. One hand came up, and the torches in the room flared to life, drowning out the luminescence of the interrogation light._

_**Katon, Shin 'inohonoo!  
**__  
The fire lashed out at the two interrogators. They both leaped aside, and stared in horror as the two flame whips snatched up the desk and chair, burning them to ash in seconds. They ran out of time for staring when the new Naruto appeared in front of Ibiki, unleashing a fierce kick into the man's shins. Ibiki, who had been slightly distracted, cried out and fell to one knee, where the Naruto lashed out with his knee, throwing Ibiki's head back in a fountain of crimson._

Before he could go any further, Anko arrived and dispatched the clone with a spin kick. It fell back, roaring in anger, before erupting in flames and fading.

"Wow..." Anko said, examining Ibiki's wounds, "Well, be glad that your nose wasn't straight to begin with."

Ibiki grunted and stood, turning to look at Naruto, his eyes narrowed, "And what the H& was that!"

Naruto snarled at him, then turned to Anko, "You walk in the shadow of the Orochi, seek freedom now, or be forfeit."

"What are you talking about?!" She yelled back, unwilling to reveal her association with Orochimaru to this freak.

Naruto stood and held out his shackled hands, "Mitarashi Anko, you have been marked by the Snake Sannin, if you take my hand now, I can do something for you, but only if you let me."

Anko stared at him for a second, then slowly held out her hand. Something in his voice had compelled her to obey, and she was sure it had nothing to do with the fact that he had a bloodline. Ibiki stayed silent, recognizing the boy's ability to empower and control others with his words.  
The moment their hands touched, Naruto saw the snake come to life, it leaped at him, jaws wide and hissing. Naruto stood his ground as the jaws of the snake descended on him. He used Anko's hand to form several seals.

_**Jinchuuriki  
**__  
The snake bit into Naruto, and the eyes widened in malicious pleasure, before narrowing in pain. Anko cried out in pain and grabbed the back of her neck, Naruto copied the action. Ibiki dashed forward and separated them, but it was already done. When Naruto and Anko recovered, Ibiki saw that Anko's curse seal was gone, and Naruto now had an exact replica of hers on the same location as hers had been in.  
"There is no greater power than the power of human sacrifice Anko. This is the gift I give to you, a second chance. I will bear this burden for you, a curse laid upon you by one who betrayed your trust and love."_

Anko stared at him, tears in her eyes. The whispers, the pain, everything, it was all gone. She could no longer feel the snake's eyes on her at every moment, egging her on, driving her insane.

"Thank you Naruto-sama." She cried, bowing from her kneeling position.

Naruto just smiled and collapsed. He was released from questioning the next day.

X End Flashback X

That had been nearly two weeks ago now. Naruto absently felt the bump on the back of his neck, it burned from time to time, probably in response to whatever jutsu Orochimaru had placed on it. Ever since that day Naruto had heard voices in his head, urging him to kill, to seek power, to disregard others, to become _evil. _He had spoken to his Prime after the incident, who had replied by hitting him over the head and telling him he was an idiot. After Naruto agreed with him, Prime had shrugged and suggested that he simply find a way to deal with the new voice in his head. Naruto suggested that Prime _was_ a voice in his head. Prime suggested he shut the f up. Naruto wondered about why he was so rude to himself. Prime launched into an explanation about how he was different that Naruto which had put Naruto to sleep.

Yeah, dealing with himself was a real blast.

"I hate myself sometimes. I can be such a jerk." Naruto said to no one in particular.

_'I heard that!'  
_  
Naruto ignored Prime and got to his feet. He slung his weights over his shoulders, stumbling slightly, then headed back towards the village. The Chuunin guards let him in without any need for id, after, Naruto was one of the few nin who regularly passed them, and they had gotten to know his face after the first week of his training. Naruto's muscles had regained their tone, and he was pretty sure that they would continue to grow with his new training schedule. Although it was not as intensive as Lee's ability, he was fairly sure that it was more intensive than anything other ninja his age were doing. He had come to realize that many ninja these days relied on bloodlines, borrowed power, and some just stayed weak. He was determined to become far more powerful than any of those ninja, and the only way to do that was to work harder than any of the ninja who were taking the easy route.

Of course, his bloodline helped. The Kaigan had revealed yet another aspect of itself during his training. It seemed to be able recirculate the chakra through his body, essentially doubling his endurance while he was training. He wasn't quite sure how it worked, but, as long as he didn't actually burn chakra doing techniques, he could rely on this recirculation to keep him going through the most intense training session. This endurance did nothing for the pain that accompanied his daily sessions, and he was pretty sure that it would continue to do nothing, after all, the Kaigan did develop from a combination of him and the Kyuubi, and he knew that neither of them was fearful of pain, especially pain that made one stronger.

Naruto unlocked the door to his apartment, unceremoniously collapsing inside, kicking his door shut with his foot. He spent several minutes admiring the ramen stain on the carpet where his face had come to rest, before realizing that he was feeling rather hungry. He pulled himself to his feet and wobbled over to the table. He pulled an apple out of the bowl in the middle of the table and devoured it in several bites, core and all, then went for an orange. He finished that off too and started some water boiling as he climbed up on his counter and pulled out his hidden stash of cup of noodles. Ever since his bloodline came into being, Tsunade, Kakashi, and his Prime had all insisted he eat well, to promote growth or something like that. He shrugged, and a few minutes later, was devouring the cup of noodles with evident enjoyment. It was the little things like this that made life worth living he thought.

He finished his noodles and headed out. Today was supposed to be his first mission, as return to active duty as a shinobi.

XXXXXX

Tsunade had been worried for a while about what kind of mission to give Naruto on his return to active duty. On one hand, she could give him a D rank mission, which would result in a headache, and possible waste of a valuable shinobi asset. But on the other hand, giving him a C rank mission would have the possibility of turning into another wave country mission, and she wasn't sure that sending Naruto into a situation like that in his volatile state would be an intelligent choice.

However, her curiosity at what Naruto could do with his newfound abilities had gotten the better of her. She had a C rank mission waiting for him upon his arrival, and, according to her clock, should be any moment...

"Kakashi! What do you reckon we're doing today, fighting S class criminals? Or maybe an assassination?" Came Naruto's loud voice beyond the door, "Baa-chan better have a good mission for us on my return to duty!"

The door was flung open, and the remains of team seven marched through, Kakashi looked suitably sheepish at Naruto's loud comments, and Tsunade fuming at the brat for calling her old. Tsunade sighed and took a deep breath, before handing Kakashi a scroll.

"Kakashi, you are to take your team and rock and fire country borders, we have recently lost contact with an outpost, and we need to you ascertain the reason. If enemy contact is found, retreat immediately and call for backup. We don't have time for another Shinobi War."

"Hai!" Team seven yelled.

"Naruto, your unique abilities will be of utter importance on this mission. Should you encounter an empty outpost, you will be the one who will be able to ascertain what has happened. We know that Iwa is aggressive towards Konoha, but it will be up to you to decide how aggressive. Understood?

Naruto grinned, "Hai Tsunade obaa-chan!"

Tsunade put him through the wall.

The team made preparations and left before the sun had reached the top of it's arc in the sky, and proceeded to slog through the intense heat of the fire country summer. Naruto had peeled back his jacket, and Sakura had removed her arm warmers, while Kakashi merely shrugged at kept on going, relying on a simple wind jutsu to keep him cool. It was working, tremendously better than either of his charge's changes in clothing. Naruto had tried to convince Kakashi to teach him the jutsu, but Kakashi had simply smiled and told him that he didn't have the control, and would probably cut himself to ribbons attempting to do the jutsu. Sakura on the other hand needed to preserve her stamina, so no special chakra cooling jutsu for her. Naruto and Sakura secretly decided to make Kakashi pay for the sweat trickling down their faces... in blood if needs be.

The heat of the day soon drifted into a cool night, where Naruto and Sakura were forced to reapply their warmer garments, lest they catch a cold from the sweat on their bodies evaporating too quickly. Kakashi noticed their discomfort and called for a break for the day.

Naruto dropped lightly from the branch he had been leaping on, followed closely by Sakura, Kakashi was already on the ground, his water bottle in hand. Sakura and Naruto drank greedily from theirs and found a nearby stream to refill from. Now that they were alone, Sakura finally felt it prudent to question her blond friend.

"Sooo... Naruto." She began.

"Eh?" Naruto asked, his attention riveted on a nearby cluster of frogs.

"Why would Tsunade say that _your_ unique abilities would be able to tell what had happened at the outpost?"

Naruto lost interest in the frogs, very quickly, "Uhmmm... my impressive Hokage skills?"

Sakura snorted, "I doubt that. What is it that happened to you Naruto? Why did you hurt yourself in the OR, and what's up with all the secrecy between you, Kakashi, and the Hokage?"

Naruto rose up, "Sakura... something happened to me at the Valley of the End... I've changed, and I don't know if it's for better or for worse."

"What happened there Naruto. All you tell me is that you and Sasuke fought. No one else seems to know anything. What are you hiding from me?" she asked, tears forming in her eyes.

Naruto's heart lurched, although he no longer had a crush on Sakura, he still cared for her deeply, and seeing her in pain was a punishment worse than anyone could deal out.

"Sakura... there are some things about Sasuke that you won't want to accept. If I told you what happened there, your image of him, no, your idolization of him would collapse. He did some things that will change the way that he and anyone else he comes to care about will interact."

"Then tell me! You want me to spend years looking for him, and trying to bring him back, without telling me why he went away?"

"Sasuke went away for power, that's the simple truth, but what he was willing to do for power..." Naruto shuddered, then shook his head, his resolve hardening, "But I'll never give up on him, and neither should you, so please, don't ask me!"

Sakura snarled and hit him, Naruto was surprised by the strength behind the blow and flew into a nearby tree. Before he could react, Sakura appeared next to him, preparing another punch. Before Naruto could do anything, he felt her fist connect with his jaw, sending him into the air, where he hung suspended for a while, then began to fall back to the ground.

_'Releasssse me... let me feel her blood, let me touch it... I want to feel alive! I want to taste her fear!'_

Naruto's eyes widened as another punch pummeled him intot he ground. He felt his curse seal burning. He knew he had only seconds before the seal spread, and the murderous intent took control of his body.

"Sakura! RUN!" he yelled.

Sakura paused for a second, then gasped in in shock. She saw a familiar flame shaped tattoo spread across Naruto's body.

"No... He didn't, he wouldn't have!" she screamed.

Naruto felt the bloodlust take control of him, and his own inhibitions took the backseat. The curse seal was in control now, and it wanted blood.

"Sasuke can't even give the curse seal! HOW DID THIS HAPPEN!" She yelled, descending on Naruto.

Naruto's hand shot up, connecting with the Kunoichi's stomach. Her eyes widened and the air whooshed out of her lungs. She fell to the ground, gasping for breath, while the cursed Naruto stood up. Purple chakra flowed around his body as he picked Sakura up by the neck, grinning at her pain as she struggled vainly against the superpowered teen. Naruto began to tighten his grip, and Sakura flailed violently, attempting to throw him off with her improved strength. But her efforts were to no avail, as Naruto simply laughed at her feeble abilities and continued to strangle her.

"NARUTO!"

Naruto's eyes shifted slightly, then widened as the blur of Kakashi hurled him to the side. Kakashi caught Sakura before she could fall to the ground, then gently placed her on the ground. This proved to be a serious mistake, as a purple blur shot out of the darkness and began delivering blow after blow into the copy nin's body. Kakashi's eye widened in response before he disappeared in a splash of water. Naruto snarled and turned, trying to locate his new adversary. Kakashi wisely kept himself hidden, looking for an opening in the boy's defenses he could exploit without killing him.

"A hundred ways to kill, but not a single disable... what the heck were the inventors of the shinobi art thinking?!" he whispered viciously to himself.  
Naruto appeared behind him, "They were thinking like me."

Kakashi stuck out his hand and caught Naruto's fist, hurling him forward before delivering a solid kick to the boy's ribs. Naruto sailed through the air before coming to a crashing halt on the riverbank. He lurched to his feet an instant later, launching himself skyward in an attempt to get to the copy nin before he could formulate a plan. But of course, Kakashi wasn't called a genius for nothing, and he proved his title justly.

The launched Naruto slammed into Kakashi, who had raised his forehead protector in preparation. As the two fell to the ground, they locked eyes. Kakashi forced all of his willpower into a single hypnotic suggestion.

_'If you activate the Kaigan you can defeat me.'  
_  
Naruto's eyes flashed as the Kaigan flared to life, then the world froze. The curse seal turned to a molten red, battling against the Kaigan. However, millenia of Kitsune instinct, and the pure willpower of a teenage boy, forced it back into its normal shape. Naruto's eyes flashed brilliantly, and the Kaigan reordered the chakra pathways around his shoulder to emulate the eight point seal, creating a block to the curse seal's power. Then they landed.

Kakashi let out an ufh as Naruto landed on top of him, and they both lay there for a few seconds before.

"Uhhh Naruto... could you get off of me, this kinda hurts. What the heck is your body made of?" Kakashi said through the pain in his back.  
Naruto smiled sheepishly and rolled off of his mentor, who began to breathe easier instantly. They both lay there for a second before a pink haired Kunoichi wandered into the clearing, her eyes glaze over.

"He wouldn't have... why would he put the curse seal on Naruto? Doesn't he know that it could be fatal, that it could make Naruto... evil?" She asked no one in particular.

"Sakura, Sasuke didn't do this to me." Naruto said calmly, trying to soothe her.

Hope flared in her eyes, but they darkened instantly, "Don't lie to me Naruto! I knew he did something horrible to you... and now I know exactly what it was. That teme!"

Naruto stared at her hoplessly, before making a decision, "Sakura, I'm not lying, he didn't do this to me... I did."

Sakura's eyes flashed, "No you didn't, I know you, you would never take that path to power... not like Sasuke did."

Naruto scowled, "of course I wouldn't, but for someone else I would."

"You did this to bring Sasuke back?!" She yelled, "Why would you sink to that level Naruto!"

"No! It wasn't for Sasuke. It was for that creepy examiner lady."

"What?"

"Orochimaru... he put this thing on her when she was a kid, I was able to remove it, but I had to become the host in order for it to leave her. Evil like that can't be destroyed, it has to be taken up like a burden."

Sakura stared at him. This was the Naruto she knew. Willing to give up anything for other people. He had never hesitated in trying to cheer her and many of the rookie nine up. Why shouldn't he try to extend that kindness to others? Every day Naruto surprised her by his selflessness, unlike Sasuke, who spent most of his time brooding over the ways in which he could kill his brother, for _his_ revenge. Not for the sake of another, not out of a sense of justice, just a burning hate that consumed everything around him, including the people that loved him.

"But then... what did he do to you that was so horrible?" Sakura asked, bracing herself and the tower of her collapsing Sasuke shrine.  
Naruto looked at Kakashi, who nodded, "She deserves to know, being your last teammate."

Naruto sighed and pulled off his jacket and shirt. His toned muscles would have been a distractions, were in not for the spiderwebbing scar that was settled just over his heart. It looked as though Naruto's body were made of safety glass, and somebody had thrown a rock at it and hit him just above his heart.  
"My Kami... is that a..." Sakura began.

Naruto nodded, "Sasuke used the Chidori on me at the valley of the end."

Sakura blinked, tears flowing from her eyes, then she collapsed. Naruto quickly moved to comfort her, and she clung to him. They stayed there for a while, and Kakashi left to prepare camp. When they finally separated, Sakura had gotten a hold of herself enough to stand on her own, and think without crying. As she moved to camp, she noticed that Naruto's stomach looked different.

"Naruto... what happened to your stomach... did he..."

Naruto looked down at the skin that, when he channeled chakra, revealed the eight point seal of the Yondaime, "Eh... no, that was me. When Sasuke put his hand through me I hit myself with my Rasengan."

Sakura stared at him, "You used the Rasengan?" she whispered.

Naruto sensed another outburst and quickly headed it off, "I noticed him beginning a Chidori, and I knew the only defense would be the Rasengan. I swear to you that it was only a shield for me. If I had broken through his defenses I would have held it back and knocked him out with my other hand."  
Sakura seemed to deflate, dropping her head and arms. Naruto hugged her and she hugged him back, then they moved back to the camp. When they reached the camp Kakashi gave Naruto a cut sign and pointed at his eyes. Remembering that his eyes were still an S class secret, Naruto began to deactivate them, but not before Sakura noticed Kakashi's movement and whipped her head around to look at him.

"Naruto... what is that?" She asked, making eye contact with him for the first time since he had activated his bloodline.

Naruto would have replied if he could have. However, his Kaigan flashed brilliantly and rendered him unconcious. Sakura stared at him for a moment before sitting down by the fire.

"You have some explaining to do Kakashi-sensei." she said, cracking her knuckles dangerously.

"ohhh yeah." He said, leaning back, "where should I begin?"

* * *

So, I thought it was pretty long and intense... I think anyway, tell me what you think! 

I want you to review (picture of uncle sam)

Kakashi's notes, back by popular demand (not really, only because I have something to write about now):

Houwotoku: literally translated means, to preach the truth: A technique developed by Naruto, his prime, and the other sentient aspects of his personality. This technique uses the ability of the Kaigan to detect truth in a whole new way. Instead of merely revealing the truth to the user, the user can project the truth into another's mind upon eye contact. This revelation can only be done if the user knows this to be a fact, which isn't hard considering the fact that the Kaigan sees through all falsehoods. Naruto's use of this on Ibiki allowed him to prove to the man that he was in fact Naruto and was fine, and should be released. However, this sort of ability can be mistaken for a genjutsu and produce unseen effects in the reactions of those who are the target of this jutsu. The Houwotoku also has the potential to allow the user to protect allies from genjutsu based attacks that may be used against them (lower B rank).

Shinko Bunshin, Deru Ikari (True Clone, Come Forth Rage): This is a variation of the true clone ability which allows Naruto to summon his element of Rage rather than his Prime into a physical, albeit weak (relatively speaking) body. This manifestation of Rage has several abilities, fighting styles, and jutsu that Naruto himself does not know, due to the fact that it is a sentient being that is born of the anger that Naruto has often felt. Like the Prime, Rage can operate by himself, but on a reduced level, as most of the time it experiences intense anger. This clone is able to feel other emotions, but is ruled by rage, and thus, will instantly attack when summoned, friend or foe unless directed by Naruto himself. (B rank jutsu)

Katon, Shin 'inohonoo (Fire Element, Flames of Rage): This jutsu summons forth the user's rage and allows him or her to command any surround fire, bending it to their will while forming it into a formidable incendiary deathdealer. This jutsu is considerably more powerful when wielded by Naruto's element of rage, as it's inherent anger can fuel the power of the jutsu, enhancing it's effectiveness in both chakra usage and the power of the jutsu itself. Normal shinobi who use this ability usually find nothing more powerful than a lesser fireball flowing from a large bonfire, unless they have been angered in some way. (Low C rank)

Jinchuuriki (The Power of Human Sacrifice): Probably one of the most versatile jutsu in existence. This technique was inherited by Naruto from the Kaigan, and is probably found somewhere in the mind of the Kyuubi. This jutsu allows the user to place him or herself in the position of another and take their burdens upon themselves. Anko's greatest burden was the curse seal, and by using the Jinchuuriki technique on her, Naruto removed that burden, but in turn, had to take it upon hismelf. The possibilities of the jutsu are endless, however, a ninja must truly want to sacrifice themself for another person in order for this jutsu to work, or it fails, at the least, causing intense pain to both users, and worst, killing both receiver and gifter. The Jinchuuriki jutsu is only usable by people who either A, know the receiver personally, and know exactly what their need is, or B, possess the Kaigan, which would allow them to see the needs of the receiver. (S Rank. Forbidden jutsu)

On the Kaigan and Curse seals: So, as you can all tell, my favorite thing about KotS is that I get to explore the physics of the Naruto world, feeling out how chakra and other forces would mix and mingle and such, it's pretty awesome. Anyway, on to the rant. A curse seal influences the user's mind in such a way that it increases and aggression and lowers inhibition, turning them into a mindless killing machine eventually after long hours of use (this is why the curse seal is not used gratuitously.). The Curse seal feeds on the user's chakra, much like a Kikai colony, and stores up the gathered energy within itself, then releases it at the user's bidding, or in times of intense pain, fear, anger, or danger. The Curse seal is semi-sentient, and has a survival instinct which gives it's user an edge over other shinobi, as the seal will force the user to expend their muscles beyond their limit, much like the celestial gates, in order to preserve itself. Part of the Curse seal's power also comes from an outside source, namely, the creator of the seal, whose power courses through the seal. The creators power acts as a catalyst in a reaction that multiplies the strength of the chakra stored within the seal, but in doing so, corrupts it. By using another person's chakra, the user damages their body and mind, and as such, can only keep the seal active for a short amount of time before they must deactivate it and rest. The equivalent in civilian terms would be a huge adrenaline rush that left your heart rhythm irregular.

The Kaigan on the other had, is the epitome of self-realization. It helps the user realize who they truly are. It enhances who the user is, unlike the curse seal, which attempts to alter who they are. When Naruto activated the Kaigan, his enhanced self was able to lock away the power of the curse seal, and thus, reverse the process of spontaneous chakra release. After the seal was returned to normal, the Kaigan, in concert with Naruto's Prime, formed a seal, namely the Kyuubi seal, over the cursed seal. This seal was formed because the Kyuubi seal is a part of who Naruto is, and there is no greater protection from a corrupting presence than the essence of self.

Phew, well, that was wierd, I hope you understood it. If you would like to hear more on any of the subjects above, leave a review and ill write some more about it and send it to you (Ill also post it in the next chapter with or without your name and question.)

Thanks for all my great reviewers! Remember, authors here live of reviews, we love them, cherish them, and sometimes even sleep with them ;).


	6. Sharks and Sharingans

Hey, well, it's time for another installment of KotS, I'm not gonna be doing a review answer because I'm too lazy and have college in the morning, but if you have any buuuring questions you can review and I will PM in response when I get the chance (sorry to those who did not get PM's I've been busy with chemistry.)

Disclaimer: standard, you know it, you read it many times a day depending on how often you visit the site. Insert here.

* * *

Naruto: Keeper of the Seal  
Chapter 5  
Sharks and Sharingans

The following day found team seven sprinting through the trees to their position. The outpost they had been assigned to check out was only a few miles away, and Sakura had been pestering Naruto about his new abilities. Naruto had tried his best to explain the situation with his bloodline, but he himself knew only what his Prime had been able to discover about his abilities. Sakura had been quite put out by this, and had almost hit him. Luckily, Kakashi intervened just in time to prevent said punching.

"Sakura, we have a mission to do, beating up Naruto won't do you any good, he already got enough of that last night." he reasoned. Sakura gave him and Naruto a glare, then focused on the branchway they were traveling on. The outpost was only another few hours travel away, and talking would just hinder their progress. This however did not stop her from falling deep into thought while navigating the forest canopy

Now that she thought about it, Naruto _had_ begun to change ever since his encounter with Sasuke, and their battle at the Valley of the End. She had just assumed that the subtle changes occurring in him ever since that day had been due to the fact that he was determined as ever to protect his friends, even if it meant protecting them from themselves. Naruto had grown distant, he no longer used the word dattebayo, and his jokes were becoming farther and farther between. She glanced over at his face and found a much more mature, and far more serious person than she had known. She wasn't sure that she liked it.  
Naruto had always been a constant in Sakura's life, a person who never changed no matter what. He would always have a kind word or funny joke to tell someone when they were feeling down, even if that person didn't necessarily like him in return. He also kept up his smile no matter what. She remembered beating him up so many times, and was unable to think of a time he had either resisted, or gotten serious with her about not touching him. She felt slightly ashamed at her previous behavior towards him, but in turn, she was becoming even more worried about what he was becoming.

This bloodline limit... the Kaigan, it seemed to be able to affect Naruto's personality, and she wasn't sure she liked what it was making him into. Before she could brood further on this subject, they reached the clearing which held Konoha's outpost. The outpost it question looked disturbingly unmanned, considering that there were no Shinobi in the lookout tower, nor any at the front gate to greet them. Of course, if there had been any at the gate, they would have been hard pressed to explain why the gate had been smashed to pieces...

"Naruto, Sakura, keep your eyes open. Whoever did this was able to overpower four ANBU class ninja. If they're still here, we're going to need to make a quick exit." Kakashi cautioned his two gennin.

They both nodded and all three drew kunai from their holsters. Kakashi jumped over the ruins of the gate, landing in the middle of the courtyard crouched and scanning the area. He gave his genin a hand signal and they followed, also checking for anything that he might have missed. A red smear underneath confirmed the presence, if the unliving presence, of one of the four ANBU stationed at the outpost.

"Sakura?" Kakashi asked.

Sakura didn't even bother checking his pulse, "What? You want me to ladle him together?"

Despite her jibe, Kakashi could see her going slightly green at the sight of the corpse. Surprisingly enough, Naruto didn't even flinch, this disturbed Kakashi more than the fact that a budding medic-nin should be sickened by the sight of blood and death. He was drawn out of his reverie as Naruto took point, creating a pair of clones to lead the way into the eerily quiet building.

The clones signaled a halt at a fork in the passageways. The single flaring torch that lit the hallway cast dancing shadows along either path, and even though the structure was made of wood, it seemed to be as cold as stone to the eye. Yet, most unnerving of all was the man crucified on the wall, one hand pointing down, and the other pointing to the left. His eyes were wide open, and they could feel more than hear the rasping sound of his breath, as if transmitted through his eyes. Four kunai pinned him by his hands and feet to the structure and long dried blood coated the outer edges of the weapons that held him in place. Kakashi and Naruto merely stared, while Sakura edged forward slightly, channeling healing chakra into her hands.

Naruto looked deep into the man's eyes, willing his bloodline to activate. His eyes flashed and the Kaigan flared to life, staring deep into the man's soul. Confusion, fear and pain marked the man's mind, and Naruto tightened his focus, willing the Kaigan to search deeper. He hit a block in the man's mind, a self-wrought shield which held out all other sources of stimuli, protecting the more sensitive parts of the brain from harm. Naruto pushed slightly, feeling the wall harden under his touch, then shoved. A wave of unfocused mind energy sledgehammered into Naruto's skull, transmitted by the man into his own mind.

Naruto reeled back and quickly deactivated his Kaigan.

Kakashi looked questioningly at Naruto, "What is it?"

Naruto rubbed his temples and explained, "Reflex. He's lashing out at anything that comes near his mind. He was definitely hit by a very powerful genjutsu, and his natural defenses have clammed up."

Sakura continued towards the man, holding out her green clad hands towards him, as if in supplication to an image of the gods. She went for the arms first, gesturing for her teammates to help her, she first removed one kunai, holding one hand over the wound as he used the other to remove the weapon. Kakashi held the man up while Sakura disposed of the remaining three kunai, healing the wounds where each one had been in the process.

Kakashi set him on the ground gently, and the man's breathing began to regulate into long deep breaths, instead of the rattling inhalations of before. The two eyes closed and he drifted away from the world. Kakashi scanned the area once more before getting up and dusting his hands off.

"You two, stay here and watch him, I'm going ahead to see if there's any more." He ordered.

"Hai!" the two teens replied.

Kakashi took the right path, leaving the two gennin to watch the rear and left paths. Sakura continued to heal the man's wounds, and Naruto set his clones at one entrance while guarding the other, he didn't bother talking to Sakura, he didn't want to distract her from the work at hand. Her skillful hands flowed across the ANBU's body, reducing bruises to mere lumps, and fading bright red cuts into tough scar tissue. Sakura probably would have left him alone if she hadn't already had to exert a great amount of healing chakra on his body during the removal process. As wonderful as healing chakra is, it comes with a heavy price, any person who undergoes any serious amount of healing begins to suffer from accelerated aging as the cells in their body undergo forced cell division. Then again, aging was better than dying... at least to most ninja.

Sakura let out a sigh as she finished, her chakra reserves almost completely used up. Even though she had been training with Tsunade for more than half a year, she hadn't yet been able to gain a large enough chakra reserve to continually heal as most medic nins did. She downed a soldier pill and sat while the energy rushed back into her system, then almost screamed as someone's hand clamped over her mouth.

"Sakura, it's me, be quiet!" Naruto hissed, sniffing the air, "There's someone near, and it's not Kakashi-sensei."

Naruto pointed at his two clones, "You two, go find out who it is, lead them off if you can."

The two clones nodded and dashed down the left path, fading from sight in a few moments. Naruto released Sakura and motioned for her to grab the ANBU.

"We have to get out of here, the casualty is our first priority, I don't want to risk him with a bunshin so you'll have to carry him. Don't put him down no matter what, he's our only key to what happened here."

Sakura nodded and gave no argument, Naruto was definitely the better fighter, and the soldier pill chakra was never quite as effective as chakra gained from resting and real food. Naruto summoned another pair of clones and led them back the way they had come, sending his two copies to check the corners before they got to each one. No enemies showed themselves, but Naruto stayed vigilant all the same, until they stepped out into the piercing rays of the noon sun. That was his mistake.

Naruto closed his eyes for a second, taking in the cool breeze and the warm rays of sunlight that fell upon his face. When he opened them, all hell broke loose.

_**Katon: Goukakyou nojutsu**_

Naruto dove back into the building, knocking Sakura and her bruden back inside with himself. He slammed the metal door as he passed it and ordered his two clones to brace it. Within seconds the two clones burst into smoke as the door shimmered white hot and began to melt. Naruto took the initiative and jumped to his feet, forming a Rasengan in his right hand as he moved.

_**Rasengan!**_

The rasengan in his hand slammed into the door, hurling the superheated metal outwards into the path of anyone who would have been preparing for a follow up attack. The door fragmented as the heat and air pressure tore it apart, sending burning metal shards into the courtyard. A figure in a red clouded cloak smashed the ground with a large sword, causing a gout of water to erupt from the ground, effectively blocking the metal shards in their path, or slowing them enough for him to dodge.

"NARUTO! Get out of here!" A voice yelled beyond the wall of water. Naruto recognized Kakashi's voice and looked closer at the wall of water which was starting to receed.

Kakashi was holding back another man with a red clouded cloak with a kunai, while the man attacked with a wakizashi, striking so swiftly that he appeared to be holding nothing but a flashing crescent of light. The other man with a larger sword had turned his focus to Naruto, completely ignoring Sakura.

"Kisame... Itachi..." Naruto whispered, then to Sakura, "Sakura, put him down, he won't be in any danger, we're going to need all the firepower we can get if we want to leave here alive."

Sakura nodded and set the man down in the doorway. She pulled on a pair of gloves to protect her hands and took a stance by Naruto. Naruto drew a kunai from his holster and fell in beside her. Kisame grinned and released the wall of water. It fell in a giant waterfall at his feet, and he rode it towards the two young ninjas.

"Let's go!" Naruto yelled, taking off in a blur.

Sakura smashed the ground, sending small cracks all the way through it, siphoning the water and slowing the speed of the waterfall that was racing towards them. Kisame was caught slightly off from the change in water speed, giving Naruto the chance to burst from the water under him, propelled by a Rasengan in his left hand. Naruto brought his kunai up, aiming for Kisame's head.

Kisame grinned even wider and jerked his head aside, releasing one hand from his sword and catching the kunai hand as it swept past. Naruto brought his Rasengan laden hand to bear, forcing Kisame to block with Samehada. The chakra consuming sword made short work of the spiraling sphere and left Kisame open for Naruto's last attack. Naruto forced a burst of chakra through his feet, and a kunai which he had embedded into his boot shot out, homing in on the nukenin's arm. Kisame's eyes widened an instant before the kunai connected with his right arm, sending a spray of blood into the air as the blade cut through his triceps.

Samehada took a nosedive and Kisame released Naruto in order to catch it, bringing the massive sword around into a swing that would have cut Naruto to ribbons if he had still been there. As it was, the log which had appeared in his place took quite a beating. Kisame growled and kicked the log away, and, taking a firm grip with his left hand on his beloved sword, blurred out of existence.

_'oh sh...' _Naruto had time to think.

A flurry of blows rained down on the orange clad nin, and he desperately dodged away, deflecting a few hits with a pair of kunai and taking even more. Before long, streams of blood flowed down his body, and his jumpsuit was completely soaked in blood. Kisame wasn't giving him any room to perform jutsu, or even think about striking back with his two now pitiful looking kunai. Naruto's first attack had succeeded because of arrogance, he couldn't count on that happening again. Fortunately for him, he could count on another factor which was about to impact in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1...

**BAM**

Sakura's fist slammed into a concrete section of the wall, sending a boulder flying at Kisame. Kisame snarled and batted it aside with his injured arm, but the attack had served it's purpose.

Naruto crossed his hands in a familiar symbol and called out his next attack.

_**Shinko Bunshin!**_

Naruto's true clone appeared next to him, reflecting a horizontal strike with a surprisingly accurate depiction of Momochi Zabuza's sword.

"Hope you don't mind Naruto, I brought some memories along with me... and a few skills." His prime said.

"Whatever works, now get to work!" Naruto countered.

Prime nodded and set about reflecting Kisame's strikes, keeping him off Naruto for a few more moments while he prepared another Rasengan. Kisame, who was shocked into near paralysis of mind, was recovering, and would be able to overwhelm Prime in a few moments.

_**RASENGAN!**_

Naruto blazed past Prime, burying a Rasengan into the ground at his feet. Dust and Debris flew outwards, pelting Kisame with an assortment of improvised shrapnel, and making him fall back for a second. Prime formed his own seals and called out.

_**Deru Ikari! Tanryoku! Iryoku!**_

3 not quite copies of Naruto appeared beside Prime in a burst of red, gold, and dark blue light. Rage appeared as he had before in the interrogation room with Ibiki and Anko, a fearsome figure with burning eyes and clawed hands. Courage was a tall powerfully built Naruto with golden eyes that shone from within, casting a faint light around his body. Will had the same piercing blue eyes as Naruto, and was built almost the same, except for a slightly bulkier frame.

"Courage, you're with me, we're going head on with this shark. Will, you hold back and hit him when you see an opening. Rage... just attack ok? Not any of us. though." Prime ordered, the Kaigan flashing in his eyes briefly.

"What in Makai is that technique?" Kisame questioned, examining the four clones.

"Your death." Prime replied, lunging forward, followed closely by Courage who had drawn a sword similar to Hayate's.

The two fighters fought with the synchronization that only a bonded mind could form. Prime dove in for an attack, sweeping for Kisame's legs with his cleaver, while Courage went high, aiming for his midsection. Kisame reflected both attacks with his own giant sword and countered, hoping to clip one of the clones and eat it's chakra away to nothing.

Will foresaw this and chose that moment to burst forward, coming in low and to the right, dragging an adamantite staff along which looked vaguely like the monkey boss's transformation. The staff swept in, and would have caught Kisame in the ribs if he had not focused chakra to his feet and launched himself into the air to avoid the attack. He held Samehada between himself and the three clones, and had a second to realize that the fourth was missing.

Rage had forsaken weapons in favor of his clawed hands, and hurled into Kisame from behind, tearing a gash down his back upon impact, and digging his teeth into the shark man's cartilage tough collarbone. Samehada swept around and Kisame let out a cry of anger and pain, attempting to swat the nuisance off his back. Rage sent a kick into Kisame's back, propelling himself upwards while forming seals.

_**Katon, Hibashira**_

A pillar of fire erupted from Rage's hands, hurtling towards Kisame at an alarming rate. Kisame moved Samehada into the path of the flames and let it feed on the chakra based fire. He grinned victoriously as his sword sang out in the joy of the blazing fire.

_**Sandankamae Gokusha**_

_**Maindo**_

_**Badi**_

_**Ki**_

Will, Prime, and Courage stood in a triangle under Kisame, linked together by bands of blue, gold, and red force. Chakra flared upwards into the sky , catching Kisame and hurling him to the ground, halting him just before impact, held between the three clones by bands of the three combined colors spiraling out from each of the users. Kisame snarled and struggled, but found that the thought of escaping seemed to hard at the moment. Besides, his limbs felt rather tired, and he didn't really thing he wanted to escape... he could just sit here and wait for Itachi to do all the fighting... yeah, that's it.

Rage landed on the outside of the triangle, and hurled himself forwards, only to be caught by Prime just as he hit the edge of the geometric shape.

"Hold on Rage, we need to keep him like this for a while, then you can have you fight." He soothed, the Kaigan flaring once more in his eyes, but settling  
instantly as he focused on holding his edge of the circle up, "Will, you'll probably be the first to go, this one seems to have a powerful mind, I'll probably be next, that will leave you Courage, you need to hold him until Naruto can help Kakashi, or at least delay him enough that Rage can hold him for that long."

The two other clones nodded and redoubled their efforts, digging deep into their newly created chakra reserves, cycling all the non-major components of their cloned bodies into energy to be used in the jutsu. Naruto was nowhere in sight, he had departed to aid Kakashi as soon as he had slammed his last Rasengan into the ground. Sakura stood by, hefting a rock and preparing to hurl it at Kisame in case he got past the four Naruto clones.

XXXXXX

Kakashi parried Itachi's blade once again, falling back under the vicious onslaught that the elder Uchiha was putting on. Kakashi could feel his arms going numb from the vibrations that each attack sent through his arms, and was fairly sure that Itachi could only feel a fraction of the pain that he himself was. Not to mention the fact that Kakashi was bleeding from several mid-sized gashes, while Itachi was fairly untouched, except for a few hairs and the ends of his cloak, which Itachi was seriously considering taking off, mostly to save on dry cleaning and repair bills.

"Hey Itachi, it looks like you friend is having some trouble." Kakashi noted in passing as more blows rained down on him.

Itachi risked a glance back and did note that Kisame _was_ getting the snot beat out of him by a pair of teenagers and some interesting looking clones. Itachi turned back and merely shrugged.

"He holds back against children, I think he may like them, or perhaps he just wants to feel the taste of dashed hopes..."

"Well, he should get enough of that from you today." Kakashi remarked.

"Oh?" Itachi replied, sending a kick behind himself, knocking Naruto into the air while slashing at Kakashi. Kakashi would have given up all hope that his  
student had become useful had he not noticed the boy wink as he flew into the air.

"Your genin has terrible stealth skills, a civilian in a crowded room could have detected his approach."

"That would be because he wanted you to hear him."

Itachi's eyes widened momentarily and he sent one more slash at Kakashi before diving backwards, straight out of his sandals. The sandal he had kicked Naruto with exploded, sending small splinters everywhere. Kakashi had wisely moved away as soon as Itachi had realized the danger.

"Hmmm, now that was clever, it's too bad I'm going to have to kill him, I would have enjoyed his antics for years to come in our encounters."

Kakashi shrugged, "There's no way you're going to kill Naruto, not while I'm alive."

"Ah, such determination, the will of fire is it?" Itachi asked, "Let me show you how truly weak you 'will of fire' is."

Kakashi didn't even have a chance, the Sharingan in Itachi's eyes went Mangekyou in an instant, and Kakashi was staring right at them. Naruto's Kaigan flared to life behind Itachi and managed to catch Kakashi's Sharingan eye before Itachi muttered out his attack.

_**Tsuki-**_

_**Houwotoku!**_

_**yomi**_

Kakashi felt a sort of shield slide over his eyes and he gazed into the depths of Itachi's Sharingan and felt... nothing. He blinked for a second, then pretended to fall unconscious. To Itachi, it had felt like he had tortured Kakashi for three days straight, and he had the massive chakra loss to prove it. However, Naruto's timely intervention had prevented Kakashi from falling into the nightmarish world that Itachi was able to create.

Itachi turned, raising his sword, slightly tired and pained from using the ultimate Sharingan technique. He noticed Naruto seemed to be stooped over, as if he were in intense pain. Itachi wondered at this before Naruto's head flew up, Kaigan blazing away. Itachi, his Mangekyou Sharingan already activated, reacted instinctively to the danger, unleashing another burst of one his most powerful abilities.

_**Tsukiyomi**_

_**Kyojitsu  
**_

Itachi's world dissolved in a sheet of white light.

* * *

Kakashi's Notes! (Man I'm too tired for this) 

The progression of Naruto's bloodline limit is unimpeded by this current mission, in fact, exposure to danger and outside influence seems to accelerate the process of the transformation which he is undergoing. It also appears as if Naruto's Shinko Bunshins are able to bring weapons from Naruto's past, and even some of the skills he has observed with them into a battle, this ability requires further research.

Deru Ikari! Tanryoku! Iryoku! (Come forth, Rage! Courage! Will!): This ability is unique to users of the Kaigan, and is often used by the prime personality of the wielder. It draws out the aspects of the user's personality which the Prime or user wishes to employ in fulfilling a task at hand. Each one has unique abilities and can bring parts of Naruto's memories with them to aid in the coming battle. In this instance the Prime called forth Rage, Courage and Will to aid him in battle. These are three of Naruto's strongest aspects; Rage from the Kyuubi, Courage from himself, and Will from what the Sandaiame referred to as the will of fire. The clones created from this technique are self-sustaining, and do not rely on the user for chakra for techniques, but rather, generate their own chakra through a complex process which is as of yet unknown to me, although it appears as if they can draw strength from surrounding sources of emotions similar to their aspect. These clones are also far more resilient than Shadow Clones, and will not be destroyed by a single punch, but may even take a few broken bones before returning to the user's mind. However, the implications of an injured aspect have not yet been fully explored, I hypothesize that an injured aspect will need time to heal, as a normal shadow clone can just be replaced. (A rank)

Katon, Hibashira (Fire Element, Pillar of Flame): the name says it all, a pillar of flame erupts from the users hands, engulfing all in it's path. Unlike most fire techniques, this one is not limited by the user's breath, but by a complex proces of ATP burning and body heat which creates a firestorm in the user's body. Not many normal nin can withstand the heat required by their bodies to create this technique, but Rage, seemingly formed from Naruto and the Kyuubi, whose main element is fire, seems to be suited just fine for this technique.

Sandankame Gokusha (Threefold Prison): A powerful technique which requires three users devoted in task to stopping one opponent. The burden of imprisonment is split 3 ways, to mind (maindo), body (badi), and spirit (ki). Each imprisonment technique makes the fortitude of the other two aspects of the opponent's body weaker, thus creating an almost unbreakable prison by using far weaker users than the opponent. Unfortunately, disrupting the triangle eliminates the technique and uses quite a bit of chakra, depending on the strength of the aspect which is being held. Only when the triangle is completely destroyed the does the opponent regain their ability to function, but each subsequent loss of a user makes it easier to break out. (C class)

Houwotoku (To Preach the Truth): An additional note to add to this ability, the Houwotoku allows the users to protect his allies from almost any hostile genjutsu by simply establishing eye contact. Even the mighty Mangekyou Sharingan cannot penetrate the eye that sees truth, but at what cost? (More in the next chapter... HA!)

Kyojitsu (Truth; Falsehood): This powerful genjutsu accessible only to users of the Kaigan transports the user and his victim into the world unique to all users of the Kaigan, where truth and falsehood are all just pawns of the user's will. Unlike the normal effect of the Kaigan, which is to reveal truth to the user, Kyojitsu stimulates the ability to lie to such a point that both user and victim believe what is said and done to be true, resulting in a dangerous situation for both user and victim. (More on this. Please note, this is NOT a rip-off of Tsukiyomi, which you'll see in the next chapter, where we'll get to see the inside of Naruto's Kaigan laden world.)

Alright, have fun, don't drink and drive etc. etc. laterz!


	7. Awaken

Sooo, here comes another chapter of KotS, hope you all enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it (and hopefully more so ;) )

Disclaimer: yeah, you know what it says. Don't sue me plz.

* * *

Naruto: Keeper of the Seal  
Chapter 6  
Awaken

Naruto felt like he had been punched in the gut, then stabbed in the head, then had every bone broken in his body. Twenty times over. Not to mention the fact that his eyes felt like they were being burned out of their sockets.

_'Maybe reflecting that Tsukiyomi wasn't such a good idea...'_

For every reflected Tsukiyomi, Naruto had been hit with a shattering force of mental energy that was exerted in the process of executing such a technique, and even though the worst had been stopped, he still felt like he had been completely owned.

Naruto exerted a force of will, lifting his head and locking gazes with Itachi.

_**Tsukiyomi**_

_**Kyojitsu**_

The Kaigan flared brilliantly and Naruto was temporarily blinded by the light emanating from his own eyes. Naruto felt a slight tearing in his brain as his and Itachi's minds spiraled off into the world of Tsukiyomi, then were diverted by the power that the Kaigan held over all forms of genjutsu.

Naruto hung suspended in the reality of Kyojitsu. He felt warm and safe here, all of his misconceptions, convenient truths, and false premises were true here, and it made it a whole lot more attractive than the real world. He shook his head slightly, clearing his head of such thoughts. One could literally be trapped in their own Kyojitsu if they weren't careful, and would end up a drooling vegetable in the real world while they reveled in this false reality created by the power of truth.

Naruto sharpened his gaze and willed Itachi into being before him. The missing Uchiha appeared before him, suspended like Naruto in the field of white which defined Kyojitsu. Naruto willed a grassy field into being and they stood facing each other. Itachi gazed around in wonder.

"What is this place?" He asked, too amazed by the technique to be suspicious for now.

Of course, Naruto believed that any person who came into this world would be amazed by it, so naturally, the Kyojitsu made it so.

"This is a reality of my own creation, all my lies, and truths are truths here."

Itachi turned his gaze to Naruto, and was surprised again, "You're not that tall"

"I perceive myself to be equal to any man, and therefore, in this world, I am."

Itachi pondered this for a moment, "And why have you brought me here Jinchuuriki?"

Naruto smiled, "To kill you."

Itachi reached for his sword, drawing swifter than the eye could follow, and beheading Naruto. Naruto watched calmly as the sword passed through his neck and out the other side, without a drop of blood being spilled.

"Bladed weapons don't work in here Itachi, I believe it so, and so it is. Your sword might as well be a rose for all the good it will do you."

Itachi's sword metamorphosed into a rose, the thorns pricking Itachi, causing him to drop it. Itachi glared and activated his Mangekyou Sharingan. Naruto met his gaze calmly.

_**Amatseru**_

The black flames erupted around Naruto, and he stepped out, completely unschathed.

"Your Mangekyou Sharingan has no effect here, and in fact, it will never work again." Naruto paused, then delivered his ultimatum, "Be it so."

Itachi cried out in pain as the neural pathways in his mind seized up. Red and black bled out from itachi's eyes until only three tomoes and the red of the third level Sharingan remained. Itachi fell to his knees in the pool of red and black at his feet, staring at his reflection in what used to be his Mangekyou Sharingan. He felt part of mind shriveling up and dying as Naruto's jutsu took full effect, denying him of the power he had killed his best friend for. He snarled and jumped to his feet preparing to charge at Naruto.

He stopped. Something warm filled his heart.

"What...?" He asked.

"The loss of the Mangekyou means that you never actually killed your friend, he committed suicide, the trauma of killing him no longer weighs upon your soul. The warmth in your heart is redemption Itachi. A second chance if you will, now, take my hand."

Itachi reached forward.

"Oh yes, and one more thing." Naruto said as Itachi took his hand.

Itachi understood the moment he touch Naruto's hand, and the world faded into blackness.

XXXXXX

Naruto returned to the real world riding a wave of pain. The Kyojitsu's power to restrain his won physical discomfort was nullified as soon as he departed from that world, and the truth of reality crashed into him like a wave of kunai.

Naruto cried out and fell to the ground, the Kaigan lurching across his eyes, every color known to man just swimming through it. Naruto felt raging pain flowing through his head. He had done some serious meddling with Kyojitsu, and the small world inside his head in which it dwell was being assaulted by fact and history in an attempt to undo his work. Naruto growled and flared his Kaigan one last time.

Color's danced brilliantly through his eyes, "**THIS. IS. MY. REALITY!**"

The Kaigan sputtered and died, withdrawing the domain safely into his mind, leaving him with a headache the size of a charging rhino. Naruto's clones faded out of existence along with the Kaigan, releasing Kisame from his prison. Naruto would have paid more attention to this if he weren't busy trying to block out the intense pain flowing through his body.

It felt as if every cell in his body were being torn apart on a molecular level. He felt his DNA unraveling and being replaced by more of the Kyuubi's youkai. He was helpless to stop the transformation, and just laid back and felt the violation of his body flow through him. He could also feel the curse seal yearning for release. He expended what little chakra he could to amp the containment seal and waited.

Naruto felt the parting of air above him, and saw the massive shape of Samehada descending towards him. The pain and damage to his body was too severe to allow him to dodge in time, and he was pretty sure that blocking was not an option. He thought of all the people who he would be leaving behind. Iruka, Sakura, Kakashi... all of his friends, especially Sasuke.

The thought of Sasuke must have served as a trigger. for in that instant, a crescent of steel slashed outwards, blocking the larger sword.

"Kisame, we are _not_ to kill the Jinchuuriki." Itachi said coldly, three tomoes, not the magekyou, spinning.

Naruto sighed in relief.

"We're taking him with us."

_'Well crap'_

Naruto would have protested more if a solid hunk of concrete had not slammed into Kisame from behind, sending him flying into the side of the building. When that happened, he just cheered inside and focused on keeping the pain from blacking him out.

"Looks like you guys forgot about me, baka's." Sakura called, hurling another piece of concrete at Itachi.

Itachi felt about half as bad as Naruto, and that's without taking into account Naruto's ridiculous ability to endure pain to achieve a goal. Instead of an impressive display of rock smashing, Itachi simply stepped to the side. This however was his undoing.

Sakura had in fact hurled two rocks, one initial, larger rock to distract, and one slightly smaller one to follow in it's shadow. She had remembered their fight with Zabuza and had simply applied the technique Sasuke had used on rocks instead of shuriken. Even so, it would have failed if Naruto had not just traumatized Itachi's sharingan enough to cause it's abilities to fade for this fight.

Itachi had time to bring up one arm, and felt the bone collapse under the impact. He growled and skidded backwards. His left hand hanging useless at his side, but otherwise uninjured.

"Whore! Prepare to die!" Yelled Itachi, leaping into the air.

A screeching like a flock of birds enveloped Itachi's senses and he glance down. Kakashi was flying up towards him at an alarming rate, a Chidori clasped in his hand, preparing for a lethal strike that would surely end his life. There was no time to dodge.

Itachi felt pain like no other as Kakashi's Chidori tore through his right leg and up into his abdomen. His entrails fell to the ground as the Chidori exited from his right shoulder, and the light faded from his eyes. Before Kakashi could feel a sense of gratification for defeating one of the most feared Konoha missing nins, Itachi's face changed. Kakashi did not recognize him, but the scratched Iwa forehead protector said it all.

Kakashi landed in a crouched position an instant before the body hit alongside him. He didn't even bother to check, knowing that Itachi's puppet was already dead. Another Chidori chattered into his hand and he raced towards the wall Kisame had been thrown into. He was not about to let the other nin get back onto even ground now.

Kisame chose that time to stick his head out of the rubble, and received a Chidori right to the face for it. Kakashi wasn't sure he would be able to identify the nin even if he wanted to. However, he still collected their identification and headbands. They could be worth something in the Bingo Book, and the three of them could split it later.

"Hey Sakura, get that man and lets get out of here. I'll carry Naruto."

Kakashi reached down and grabbed his student, and was surprised to find how heavy Naruto was.

"Hey Naruto, you should lay off the snacks." Kakashi joked.

"My body hurts Sensei. Shut up." Naruto grumbled.

"Hey, who's doing the walking here?"

Naruto sighed, then fell unconcious.

"Yeah, that's what I thought."

They departed, and didn't stop moving till they could barely see the trees they were jumping on.

XXXXXX

Naruto and Prime sat on a pair of rather plush cushions in a red carpeted room. A table with various scrolls scattered over it stood between them.  
Prime looked up from the scroll he was studying, "Welcome back Naruto, I'm just trying to learn some more swordmanship, might come in handy later."  
Naruto nodded, leaning back in the comfortable cushion.

"Although I must say, your skills in weapon fighting are rather lacking. Why don't you get that lazy sensei of yours to teach you something." he suggested, "All I've been able to get is what you've observed from Zabuza, Hayate, and the few other swordsmen you've seen in action. Although, the fight with Kisame gave me quite a bit of things to work with."

"I'm not interested in fighting with weapons." Naruto replied simply.

"Naruto, what did I tell you when we began training?"

Naruto sighed, "You must develop all areas of jutsu. Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, Genjutsu, and Kenjutsu. Specialization leads to stagnation, and stagnation leads to death."

"Right, so, you need to take up a weapon. It doesn't even need to be as graceful as a sword. You could take some more time with you kunai."  
Naruto sighed again, "Actually, I've been thinking..."

Prime sat up, paying attention, Naruto continued "I need a weapon that will allow me to fight with clones, so nothing long ranged like a chain... So, I don't really know."

Prime deflated and sweat dropped, "Well, you've gotta pick something... what about a spear? Spears are good things."

Naruto snorted, "Way too slow and clumsy for my taste."

It was Prime's turn to sigh, "Look, I can see we're going nowhere here, why don't you talk to that Tenten girl? She's a weapons mistress, she might have some ideas for you."

Naruto rubbed his chin, "Hmmm, good idea, alright, I'll do it!"

Prime shrugged, "Okay, well, while you're deciding, you want to help me organize this?"

Naruto sighed, and closed his eyes. The scrolls on the table began rearranging themselves into stacks, sorted by subject and alphabetization. Prime nodded approvingly and went back to the scroll on swordsmanship. Naruto finished in a second and got up.

"Alright, I'm gonna go survey the damage in here, see ya."

Prime nodded, not taking his eyes away from the scroll, "You're not gonna like it. Kyuubi was mucking about while you were fighting."

Naruto shrugged, "So far it hasn't hurt me too terribly whenever he does his thing."

Prime looked up, "Yes, Kyuubi will help you, but remember, he has his own agenda. He's up to something with all these changes, and I don't know what, that's what scares me the most about it."

Naruto nodded assent and left he refuge.

The sewer of his mind was in worse shape than usual. The walls were starting to crack, causing even more dross to seep into the sewer, raising it to knee height. Naruto grimaced and waded through his damaged mindscape. Using the Kyojitsu was extremely dangerous to ones mind, and Naruto could see the results now. When he had taken Itachi's Mangekyou Sharingan, it had been stored away in his mind. As soon as Itachi had left the world of Kyojitsu without it, reality had rushed in to seize it and return it to it's owner. Naruto had held it back using the Kaigan, locking the Mangekyou Sharingan away in his mind. That was his destination.

Naruto crossed paths with Insanity on the way, who was babbling something about insects crawling under his skin. Naruto shuddered and sent him back to his quarters. Insanity obeyed until he was out of sight. What he did then, Naruto did not know, nor care. The other aspects were probably resting. Existing in the real world was taxing on Naruto's aspects, and they had to rest immediately when they returned. Except for Rage, who seemed to not be affecting by anything at all.

Naruto finally came to a door that had the kanji for Kyojitsu engraved on it. It was across from the Kyuubi's holding room. The irony of this did not escape Naruto, and he was fairly certain that the Kyuubi had given a lot of effort into making sure that the world of Kyojitsu was near him. Naruto paused at the door, not sure if he should open it, lest reality take the chance to sweep in and take back what he had robbed. Naruto shrugged, then flared the Kaigan to life. He formed barriers along to hallways and the entrance to Kyuubi's lair with his mind and opened the door. Reality did not swoop in to take back what belonged to it.

Naruto stepped in and closed the door, then let the Kaigan fade. The white room contained two objects. One, a red rose, and two, a small puddle of red and black. Naruto formed a small black chest and approached the puddle. It weaved slightly as he approached. Naruto opened the chest and willed the puddle into it.

Instead of obeying, the puddle climbed into the air, forming a red and black stain on the world of Kyoujitsu, then it began to fade. Naruto flared the Kaigan to life, forcing Kyojitsu to reject the Mangekyou. Kyojitsu did not respond, and the Mangekyou continued to fade, then a color grew where it had faded. Naruto heard voices, then saw Kisame on the wall, standing in a forest alone.

"Kisame, you were supposed to defeat the girl, how did she get past you?" Naruto heard Itachi's voice ask coldly.

"How was I supposed to know that brat could use that technique! I didn't even recognize it!" Kisame replied.

Naruto realized he was seeing the world through Itachi's eyes. But no sooner had this thought occured than he felt someone's awareness shift to him.  
"Kisame! Be quiet. Someone is here." Itachi hissed.

Kisame instantly went into a defensive stance, drawing his Samehada, "Where?"

"In my head."

Kisame stared, and Naruto flared his Kaigan brilliantly, trying to shut down the connection. Itachi closed his eyes and turned his Sharingan inwards. Naruto saw an image of itachi appear in the darkness of Itachi's eyelids.

_'GET OUT OF MY HEAD!' _He roared.

Naruto reeled back from the Psychic blow, feeling the world swirling around him. The Mangekyou painting began to bubble and Naruto willed it into the chest as Itachi continued to psychically assault him. Hammer after hammer slammed into Naruto's body, and just when he felt that he would perish, Insanity opened the door. Insanity moved quickly, dodging forward in front of Naruto and forming a seal with his hands.

_**Yobiokosu!**_

Naruto felt his connection with his mind fray, and an image of the outside world where his body was overlapped his vision. Insanity took the box from his hands, and he disappeared.

XXXXXX

Naruto awoke abruptly. He felt pressure on his abdomen and immediately pushed away, fearing an attack.

This would normally have been fine, if Kakashi had not been standing on top of the Konoha wall talking the ANBU officers there into letting him in at night. Of course, the fact that this was occurring, meant that Naruto was propelled off Kakashi's unsuspecting shoulder, and hurled into the village. A short distance later, inertia lost to gravity, and Naruto plummeted. Inertia called for a rematch, but nature denied it. Thus, Naruto kept falling.

_'Ah gravity, you fickle-'_ Naruto began

The wonderful thing about gravity is the fact that it keeps everything neatly on the ground. This fact was highly unfortunate for Naruto, who was currently hurtling downwards from several hundred feet to the hard, unforgiving pavement below.

Naruto didn't know any jutsu that could counteract a very nasty fall, and he felt that his sudden awakening had surprised the three nin enough that there was no one dashing in pursuit who would beat cursed gravity to the punch. Yeah, things didn't look so hot.

Naruto felt pressure building in the back of his head as he sent a wave of chakra flowing through it. The Kaigan burst into life, flaring brilliant colors on to the too close ground. Naruto didn't know how much this would help, but being able to see how truly he was going to die from a broken neck didn't help much.

Then, it all stopped.

Naruto blinked, or rather, tried to, but nothing happened.

_**"Listen very closely Gaki. I've just used the Kaigan to accelerate you mind to one-hundred thousand times its normal speed. I can't hold this for very long with destroying your brain. I'm going to force the ability to mould wind chakra into your brain, when this happens, you must push all the chakra in you body downwards."**_

Naruto nodded inwardly, then felt time return to normal. His brain felt like a bed of hot coals, and had he not fixed the thought in his mind, he would have completely forgotten to obey the Kyuubi's words.

Chakra erupted from Naruto, spiraling downwards into a torrent of wind, hiding him from the eyes of the people above.

* * *

Kakashi's Notes:

Yeah so, I've been debating wether or not to write this part, seeing as how I have to get to chem in the morning. I finally decided to go with abridged notes. This will be less lengthy than usual, and will probably make more sense than my usual 2 am rant.

Kyojitsu (Truth; Falsehood): Transports the minds of the user and the victim to a small world inside the user's mind where all of the users truths are truths and lies are truths. Naruto uses this technique on Itachi, mostly because there is no way he could possibly defeat the Sharingan user in the real world. Kyojitsu is a very dangerous place for both parties. The user can effectively, and almost instantly kill, the victim. However the user must overcome the reality which awaits just outside the door to Kyojitsu. Upon exit from the Kyojitsu, anything that remains inside comes under immediate assault from the forces of reality. A Kaigan user can only withstand the attention of the universe for so long, and if they are not careful, holding too much in Kyojitsu can literally incinerate their brain. On a last note. Any changes made in Kyojitsu to another's mind, stay that way until the Kaigan user submits to reality, or death, releasing all the locked away objects in Kyojitsu. Whenever something of a person is held in Kyojitsu, the user and victim form an unbreakable bond through the object left behind. Objects left in Kyojitsu remain in the real world, but become brittle and may be easily destroyed. (S class)

Yobiokosu (Awaken): A technique so far known only to Naruto's insanity. Insanity uses this technique to forcefully send a burst of chakra through Naruto's mind, hurling him back into the waking world instantly and violently.

Blocking Genjutsus: The Kaigan is only a means to overstimulate the portion of the brain which detects lies, making it very powerful against genjutsu, but not immune. When Naruto blocked Tsukiyomi twice, it popped quite a few blood vessels and made a few bruises on his brain. Although less deadly than the technique itself, Tsukiyomi is still effective against a Kaigan user. However, you would need to bash him over the head 5-6 times with it to make them black out effectively. Even then, the effects would only be temporary, perhaps a few hours.

Intsa-learning: No, this is not going to be a regular. Kyuubi was able to accelerate Naruto's brain process by a significant amount, literally slowing down brain time for both of them. However, making a person's brain work that hard is the equivalent of mashing your head with a brick several times, pressing it in a winepress, then bashing it against the hoover dam, continuing long after you lost, regained, then lost again consciousness. Trust me, it's not good. It's also sorta like staying up all night, every night for about a year for every 5 seconds spent in this accelerated rate. And you all know what happens to people who don't get sleep in the Naruto world. They go Gaara on you.

As for the learning thing. He basically played images of a master of wind chakra training in their specialty millions of times over until Naruto's brain got the picture, then made the changes in his body on a molecular level for channeling wind chakra.

Okay, so I lied, it's really long and makes no sense...

Shut up.

Review!


	8. Time Lost, Time Paid

Alright! It's back. I think this is shortest time between an update ever. Of course, I think this is the shortest chapter yet, but it's pretty heavy on stuff, so it's all dense and crap...

Standard disclaimer here.

Enjoy!

Also, if you don't read Kakashi's notes at the end of each segment, you're really missing out on the best part of this story, so go back and read all of them, I promise it'll be fulfilling.

* * *

Naruto: Keeper of the Seal  
Chapter 7  
Time Lost, Time Paid

(And for those of you who don't read the A/N's, read Kakashi's notes at the end, they're good.)

The miniature dervish settled slowly, allowing Kakashi and the two ANBU to reach the ground before they were in full sight of Naruto. Kakashi was so desperate to reach his student that he simply dove off the wall, springboarding off a tree opposite the wall, following the branches down. The two ANBU ran straight down the side of the wall, making them seriously consider the usefulness of a wall on a ninja village. I mean really, most shinobi can jump ridiculously high anyway, and wall climbing was a basic skill.

"Hey, why do we even have these walls?"

"I dunno man, but I suppose they do something, I haven't figured out what yet."

The two ANBU were cut off as they observed the destruction of the ground surrounding the blond haired form standing below them. Large gashes scarred the earth's surface around where he had landed, creating a spiral shape on the ground centered around him. His eyes were closed, and he appeared to be in intense pain.

Kakashi landed next to Naruto and gingerly placed a hand on his shoulder, trying to stir a reaction from his student. Naruto took a deep breath, let it out, then breathed in again.

"Are we home?"

Kakashi nodded, then realized Naruto wasn't looking at him, "Yes."

"Ok good, first question, who am I?"

Kakashi stared at him, "Oh no..."

"And who are you? And where exactly is home."

Kakashi stared at his student, his mouth having dropped open from shock.

"And why does my head hurt like h!#?"

Kakashi didn't respond, he just continued staring.

The two ANBU approached, "Ummm, yeah, you can go on in Kakashi, I think your student might need some medical assistance."

Kakashi nodded numbly, then grabbed Naruto's shoulder, steering him towards the gates. Naruto followed without protest, not really sure what was going on. He had the vaguest feeling of someone shouting something in the back of his head, but that was just insane, nobody heard voices in their head. Then again, he didn't really know anything besides the fact that he was being led by a strange man into a strange village.

"Naruto, do you remember anything at all?" Kakashi asked.

"Where's this Naruto guy?" Naruto asked.

"You are Naruto, Uzumaki Naruto."

Naruto rolled that thought around in his head for a second before responding, "Sounds right. I don't know why, but I think I would be able to tell if you were lying."

"That's because your bloodline limit would be able to detect if you were being lied to." Kakashi replied, then a sudden thought struck him, "Naruto, why haven't you opened your eyes?"

Naruto got a questioning look on his face, "My eyes _are_ open, but all I can see is a faint haze of what is around me."

Kakashi examined Naruto's eyelids for a second, not pausing on his way to Tsunade's office. He noticed that inner light seemed to be beaming against Naruto's eyelids. Probably the Kaigan at work. But what was it doing? And why had Naruto's memory suddenly evaporated while it was active. Unless Kakashi was seriously mistaken, the Kaigan was supposed to protect the user's mind from such things. Of course, the fact that Naruto had just unleashed a torrent of wind chakra might be an indication that something was going wrong with him.

"Naruto, I'm going to open one of your eyes, I don't know what's going to happen, so brace yourself."

Naruto shrugged, "Whatever man, just don't do anything weird. I still say my eyes are open."

Kakashi touched one of Naruto's eyelids, then slowly lifted it.

A searing rainbow escaped Naruto's eye, bathing the street with mysterious luminescence, and causing Kakashi to draw back from the sudden bright light.

Naruto's eye remained open, and slight "oh" escaped his mouth.

The other eye slowly opened, releasing even more light into the world. If Kakashi could have looked directly at Naruto's eyes, he would have noticed that the Kaigan was, instead of flashing through a series of colors, was coloring Naruto's iris every color of the rainbow at once.

"I thought it was night time." Naruto said.

"It was..." Kakashi replied, amazed at this new development, and fearful of the implications.

"The sun isn't usually this color Kakashi." Naruto said

Kakashi perked up, "Naruto! Your memories?!"

Naruto shook his head, "Nope, sorry, I just know that's your name."

"OK, well, that's a start. What exactly are you doing Naruto?"

Naruto shrugged, "I dunno, but this word keeps flowing through my head... I think it's..."

_**Kenshou  
**_

Kakashi stared in wonder as Naruto's eyes blazed even brighter, rivaling the sun in strength. He could feel the intensity of the light weighing on him, and suddenly knew exactly what was happening. He felt the world come into focus, and he suddenly _knew_ everything that he could see. The light seemed to reveal the universe on a deeper level, and Kakashi reveled in this, feeling the power of the Kaigan flowing in and around him. Kakashi felt a glorious joining within himself, and he suddenly knew what it was to exist, the sheer elation of it all enthralled and permeated his being.

Kakashi quickly checked a nearby window to see if his eyes were changing color just as Naruto's were, but he was instantly cut off from his reflection as the light disappeared. The sense of oneness with the universe faded, leaving Kakashi as breathless as a fish thrown up by high tide. He felt the weight of the light fade, and the truths which he had reveled in went with it.

He turned back to Naruto, who's eyes were swimming lazily in the normal way of his Kaigan. Kakashi blinked in amazement and sat down.  
"Is that what the Kaigan feels like Naruto?"

Naruto nodded, then shook his head, "Sort of, I think I'm acting as a buffer between you and the harshest of what the Kaigan reveals, otherwise you would probably be sitting there curled up like a baby and clawing out your eyes. Or chewing off your fingers, one of the two.  
Kakashi shuddered at the thought, remembering how Naruto had mutilated himself when he had first gained the ability to see the truth.  
"Ok, well, enough of that. Do you remember anything?" Kakashi asked.

Naruto shook his head.

"I think... when you used Kenshou I think I was able to perceive that your mind had been damaged by something... can you at least remember that?"  
The Kaigan flashed lightly and Naruto nodded, "Yes... Kyuubi... He, he stopped time, or, at least made my mind quick enough to forget that time was passing. He did something... something to do with... Wind?"

Naruto closed his eyes and focused on what he could remember, "Yes, wind chakra, he taught me how to use wind chakra, but it hurt me."  
Kakashi nodded, "Prime would have relegated the damage to all of the expendable memories. People, places, things. But it looks like your mind is still at least partially intact. Can you mould chakra?"

Naruto nodded, forming a ram seal and causing a small amount of chakra to swirl around his feet. He stepped onto the wall and then stepped down from it. Kakashi noted how Naruto's chakra left small gashes in the wall, and surmised that Naruto did not have proper control over wind chakra, just the ability to use it. He was a natural wind chakra master.

"Alright, we'll talk about this later, we need to get you to Tsunade now. Hurry." Kakashi said, leading the way to the Hokage's office.

He was gratified to see that when he took to the rooftops, Naruto followed with his usual speed and competitiveness. Kakashi was not sure how deep the damage to his mind went, and he wasn't sure he wanted to find out. A user of the Kaigan with brain damage could be a deadly threat to himself and those around him. Especially with all the new jutsu that Naruto seemed to have learned, or was spontaneously learning.

They landed on the Hokage tower roof just outside Tsunade's window, and Kakashi knocked. Tsunade came to the window and opened it, allowing the two shinobi inside.

"Kakashi, report!" she demanded.

Kakashi bowed then began, he explained the situation with Itachi and Kisame, along with the survivor and Naruto's new skills. Then he added in the Amnesia.

Tsunade looked a little worried, but had to focus, "Where is Sakura now?"

"The ANBU let her in immediately with the wounded man, they're in the hospital now. I'm confident that he will survive to tell us the truth of what happened."

Tsunade nodded, "But it doesn't really seem like he'll need to say anything."

"I don't know. The killings... they weren't Itachi's style, and since when does Akatsuki randomly kill in the hopes that we'll send the one Jinchuuriki we have on a mission to the one base they attack? Not likely. No, I think they were just there to seize on an opportunity, not actually waiting for him." Kakashi replied.

Tsunade thought about that for a second, then nodded pensively, "But who would be strong enough to attack and defeat four ANBU? And why would they go for such a small kill when doing something like this would reveal their presence?"

Kakashi shrugged, "I don't know, and although this may end up being a serious issue, we need to figure out what to do with Naruto now."

Tsunade nodded, then turned to the blond haired nin, "Naruto, do you know who I am?"

_**Kenshou**_

Kakashi braced himself as Naruto began the first syllable of the word, Tsunade however was caught completely off guard. The blast of truth emanating from Naruto's eyes leveled Tsunade, literally. She collapsed into her chair, feeling the weight of her years as the genjutsu around her collapsed, along with all her misconceptions. Naruto saw a tear trickle down her cheek, and he let Kenshou fade back into Kaigan.

Tremendous relief flowed through Tsunade as the awareness of the universe faded from her mind. The weight of her years faded and the genjutsu around her body regained it's power.

"Naruto..." she said, shuddering.

Naruto stepped forward and embraced her, "I know. I'll go to the hospital now."

Naruto disappeared out the window, and Tsunade knew somehow that he would make it there without a problem.

When he had disappeared she turned back to Kakashi drawing in a shuddering breath, "What. Was. That?" She asked quietly.

Kakashi sighed as the weight faded, then replied, "That was Naruto's newest technique, the Kenshou. It appears as if his Kaigan has evolved, allowing him to create a field of truth around himself. It's terrible and wonderful, and has varying effects, based on what I just saw."

Tsunade nodded as the memories of the past few seconds faded into a haze, "But it looks like it's only temporary."

"Indeed, the human mind isn't made to comprehend the truth, and our minds block out the truths we learn when the field disappears. Which brings me to my next point. I don't think Naruto is human anymore."

Tsunade did a double take, then sat back heavily, "Oh Kami..."

Kakashi nodded, "I've been studying him for a while, and I've found that Naruto's body has begun to change inhumanly. Kyuubi's youkai seems to have infected his body cells now, instead of just the brain and eyes. I almost collapsed from his weight on the first night. He hasn't gotten any bigger, so I'm assuming that his bone and muscle density have at least tripled. And that just one of the minor changes."

"Minor?!"

"Yes, if you look closely, you can see Naruto beginning to form claws, and his Rage form already has them. He's also developed a kind of sixth sense. He can 'see' things, even when his eyes are closed. I think his body is emitting some kind of sonar... I think this is a direct result of his newfound ability to control wind chakra. You'll also note that his bone structure his changing slightly. I was examining him on the way back, and I found that most of his limbs are now double jointed, and he's starting to gain a few extra bones as well. I've identified four extra ribs, overlaying the heart and lungs with additional protection. He's also developing some muscles that I've never seen before... you're going to have to take a look at that."

"Wait... extra ribs? wouldn't that limit mobility?"

"Normally. But these ribs are jointed... they move every direction, moving out of the way when he needs to move anything in there. Some of the new muscles that I told you about are connected to those. I think they're smooth muscles, so he isn't distracted by having flex and unflex them when he wants to move."

Tsunade just stared at him. Kakashi remained standing, waiting for Tsunade to process this information.

"So... what is he becoming?" Tsunade asked hesitantly.

Kakashi closed his eye, took a breath, then replied, "I can't be sure but... I think he's becoming a Bijuu."

Tsunade_did_ fall out of her chair at that.

"I left this one for last. Naruto's spinal column has begun to form extra links at the bottom. I think he's growing a tail. And not only that, but there's an unnaturally high concentration of chakra in the spine at the moment, and it's moving downwards along a new chakra pathway. Just like a Bijuu, I think his new tail, or tails, will serve as an even greater chakra source than his Ki."

Tsunade regained her seat, "You know _exactly_ what will happen when this tail grows out don't you?"

"Yes... They'll kill him. Or..."

Tsunade nodded, "He'll kill them."

They both sat in silence, contemplating.

XXXXXX

"Well Naruto-san, it looks like you have nothing but a bad case of the sniffles, seeing as how much you've been sneezing while you've been here. But I did receive a message from the Hokage to perform a brain scan before I release you." The doctor on duty said.

The doctor in question was Shikamaru's uncle, Jirhuu. Jirhuu, unlike most of the villagers, was sympathetic to Naruto, mostly because the boy was a friend of his nephew. Jirhuu has always treated Naruto if he came in on his shift. He never asked questions that he Naruto wouldn't answer, and he always made sure the boy was put in a decent room. Naruto often waited until nightfall on Jirhuu's graveyard shifts so that he could see him. Sometimes nursing a broken limb at home until he could sneak out and make it to the hospital.

"However, I want to take a look at that mark on your neck. The spiral seal around it might not be acting powerful enough, and I think I'm going to haveto apply another seal to it."

Naruto nodded. He remembered Jirhuu well. He also had shadows of many of the doctors here, not all of those shadows were good. Naruto was grateful that Jirhuu hadn't asked about his eyes, which were still cycling through every imaginable color. He also knew that it would never go on the report. Naruto liked that about the Nara's, even though they were generally lazy, they were stalwart friends, and could always be depended on to have

discretion.

"Thank you for everything Jirhuu... You've been a friend to me for all these years when no one else would look at me with anything but hate in their eyes."  
Jirhuu smiled at Naruto, then bowed, "And you Naruto, are the hero I have always revered. Your father would have been proud of you. I can see the potential in you to become an even greater man than he was."

Naruto smiled. Jirhuu had told him who his father was a long time ago. The middle-aged man had been the Yondaime's doctor, and had access to all of his medical records, and on request from Naruto, had done a DNA test to check against their relation. They were definitely related. However, no one would be able to tell they were related now if Jirhuu's DNA readings were correct now. A banana held more in common with the Yondaime than Naruto did now.

Jirhuu wasn't worried however, he could never imagine that Naruto would become anything other than the heir of Arashi, The Yellow Flash. He was honored to serve the both of them. Once as a young doctor resuscitating an almost dead genin, and now serving his son as a source of strength and healing. But most of all, as a friend.

Naruto was grateful that he had been able to keep his memories of this man.

Naruto followed Jirhuu into the MRI and sat on the table. Jirhuu took cover behind the wall and activated the scan. Naruto was lulled by the humming of the machine, and felt disappointed when it was over.

Jirhuu took a quick look at computer, then had to look again. Naruto's brain was all wrong. He could see damage all over the brain, but he had expected that, and knew of Naruto's special ability to heal any wound. However, what he didn't expect that the sheer difference of it. It was hard to see properly, as the heightened chakra flow in ninja's tends to disrupt the reading power of mist electronics, but he was fairly certain that Naruto's brain looked like nothing he had ever seen.

Naruto appeared next to him, looking at the monitors as well, "I'm changing..." he said.

Jirhuu nodded, "This doesn't have something to do with..."

Naruto nodded, gesturing to his eyes, "It's nothing to worry about. Can you do anything about the scarring?"

Jirhuu looked again, "Radical surgery... but not really. I think you need to talk to Tsunade... perhaps learn her rebirth technique? That looks like the only thing that could help with this kind of damage. For now, the entire system is corrupt. Whatever memories you have now are all you're going to get back, unless you can find something to heal those damaged pathways. You're lucky that nothing vital got fried. In fact, it's amazing, I would like submit this to a journal, with your permission. This sort of damage is entirely unique."

Naruto shrugged, "Whatever, just don't mention my name in it. As for vital being fried... I think I need to look into this more. Can you put me under for a few days?"

Jirhuu nodded, "Let me get the tranq's, I'll meet you in the overnight rooms, b11 is open. I'll apply the seal while you sleep."

Naruto bowed to the doctor, then headed for the room.

On his way there, an old man waved a fist at him, moaning something about demon brat. Naruto turned curiously and look at him. He met the man's eyes, his own flashing eyes meeting the pale blue of the man. The man gasped, then pulled a kunai of out from under his bed, jumping at him.  
Naruto was caught completely off guard as the knife buried itself in his chest, or tried to. Naruto felt a shifting in his chest as his new ribs hardened, absorbing the impact and spreading it through his body, dispersing the force behind the attack. The man's eyes widened, and the genjutsu around him fell.  
A man with a scratched mist headband stood in front of Naruto. Naruto felt a primal rage burn within him from somewhere within. His Kaigan flared brightly, fixing on a red color, and Naruto's fingernails sharpened to points.

The man's eyes widened further, and he fell back a few steps. Hurling the Kunai at Naruto. Naruto felt the muscles in his chest bundle up once again, and the kunai simply dug a shallow cut, then fell the floor. The man began to make hand seals.  
The red in Naruto's eyes bled out of the iris into whites, then began glowing fiercely. He felt a twinge in his lower back, but ignored it as he brought his own hands up. He noted the handseals, seeing the tiger seal. He knew a tiger seal meant fire, and fire could harm countless innocents in this section of the hospital.

Naruto's muscles bundled up, then hurled him forward. His left hand lashed out, catching the man's hand in the tiger seal, then his right hand swooped up, grabbing him by the throat and hoisting him into the air.

"You dare attack me fool!"

Naruto's voice was laced with a finely directed blast of killer intent. The Kaigan flared brightly underneath the red haze over his eyes, and Naruto felt an inexplicable rage grow within him. Fear gripped the man as Naruto unleashed his Kaigan amplified attack, causing his muscles to turn to jelly.  
Fire began to smolder around Naruto's body, and he tightened his hands, preparing to kill. He felt the joy of fulfilled rage flow through his body, and he rejoiced... then suddenly, it faded.

Naruto collapsed to the ground, spent completely. The man fell beside him, still unable to move from the sheer strength of the blast which had hit him.

Naruto heard a voice inside his head berating another voice.

Naruto crawled the rest of the way to the room to avoid awkward questions, leaving the staff to take care of the assassin. Jirhuu arrived and administered the sedative without question, then left to allow Naruto to sleep. He locked the door on the way out.

Naruto closed his eyes, then let his mind open. He felt the world around him melt, then he sank into his mind. When he opened his eyes, all he could see was a blasted landscape, the remains of what had been a sewer, and a towering cage opposite a white door.

"This is gonna take a lot of work to fix." Naruto said hopelessly.

He settled down to the ground, touching the earth with his hand. He focused his willpower, and watched as a single sprout sprang from the dead earth.

"But we have to begin somewhere."

* * *

So... tell me what you think! I answer most reviews that I get the time to, so questions are cool (sorry if I don't answer, I work and do school:p, so it's all luck of the draw on who gets answered.)

Kakashi's notes:

Kaigan and Amnesia: Unlike normal amnesia, which is usually temporary and psychological in nature. Naruto's amnesia is the direct result of neural damage. Thus, only certain memories are lost, and with Prime's help, nothing vital, like ninja skills, are forgotten. The damaged memories can still be used, but they are skewed and often incorrect, much like a corrupted file on a computer. Naruto's going in there to repair what he can, and with the help of the Kaigan, it's completely possible to make a partial, if not almost complete, recovery.

Evolution: Yes Naruto is evolving. Mentioned earlier, Naruto's DNA is being infected by Kyuubi's. However, Naruto's DNA is still his, and however much the Kyuubi ad's, it can't destroy who Naruto is. So Naruto is no longer truly human, but he is also not completely Bijuu. He his the first of his kind, a Hybrid of the two. Arguably, all bloodline users are demon/bijuu hybrids, but Naruto is in the purest form of one of these hybrids. More changes coming! Also, with the help of the Kaigan, Naruto's body will be changing in unique ways, suited uniquely to him and the experiences he goes through, (The increased chest protection is the result of Naruto's mind fearing attacks to the chest, caused by the fact that he was stabbed almost directly through the heart with a chidori.).

Naruto's evolution is also a direct result of his ability to perceive the truth. Even if he did not have the Kyuubi, his mind would have begun to adapt to compensate for the Kaigan's ability to see the truth. The truth can be harmful to the human mind, and the Kaigan is by design, meant to protect the users mind. Thus, it would begin modifications as soon as the Kaigan became active to prevent the user from destroying their own mind.

Kenshou (Revealing the Truth): This ability is the next step in Kaigan's evolution. Like Houwotoku, it projects the user's ability to see truth into those around him. However, the Houwotoku is merely a shield from lies, and can reveal only the truths that the user is trying to transmit. The Kenshou actually projects the unbridled power of the Kaigan into the world. Genjutsu caught within this field are instantly torn to shreds, and each person caught within the field is subject to Naruto's unique ability to see the absolute truth in all things. The victims (for lack of a better word), come to a full knowledge. They can feel the consciousness of the universe around them, and they comprehend it in a way that they do not even understand it. The lies they have built up for themselves are stripped away, revealing them for who they are to themselves, and giving them a look at who they truly are. However, the human mind is not meant to comprehend absolute truth, and as soon as the victim moves out of the field, their mind instantly shuts down the truths they learned and stores them away to protect their sanity. Prolonged exposure to Kenshou is not a problem, as Naruto's mind and will act as a buffer between the crushing weight of absolute truth that Naruto is constantly exposed to. However, if the victim can somehow hold to the truths they learned upon exposure there is no telling what havoc can be caused to the brain.

Well, that's all I've got for now. Kakashi's notes aren't as extensive as I'd like them to be, but I'm all Naruto-scienced out today. For clarification, leave a review and I'll happily respond when my ability to comprehend the laws of Naruto have returned.

Thanks!


	9. Enemy Within

Hey everyone, welcome to the next installment of KotS, hope you enjoy it more than I did writing it :p

Also, does anyone know what's up with the spacing issues? I write all my work on gmail docs, then DL it, then transfer it to here. For some reason, I have to go through and respace the whole page. Any help would be appreciated, I'm not all that tech savvy.

Standard disclaimer here.

* * *

Naruto: Keeper of the Seal  
Chapter 8  
The Enemy Within

Naruto stilled his mind, urging the sprout onwards. It responded to his will, growing first into a sapling, then progressing to a fully mature oak. Naruto stood back and examined the work, then turned to the desolate land that dwelt within him. He remembered someone in here... a friend. A host of friends actually, people who would protect him with their lives, each having unique characteristics. closed his eyes, digging deep for the power that dwelt within him. Naruto's eyes flew open, Kaigan flaring into brilliant life. All around him grass sprung up from the earth, and once dead ground took on new life.

_**Deru!**_

Naruto felt the ground beneath his feet tremble, and his mind burned. He snarled, pushing through the pain and forcing the power of the Kaigan nto his damaged mind.  
A sewer flashed before his eyes, a wreckage from his past life. A door, and a cage with a seal. A host of figures stood in the background, led by one who stood above them all. He smiled at Naruto and nodded. Naruto snarled back, grabbing a hold of the figure and pulling him back to his mindscape. The figure stumbled, then righted himself.  
"Naruto?"

Naruto nodded, not letting go of the man who looked like himself, "Who are you?"

Prime looked him in the eyes, then activated his own Kaigan.

Naruto's brain seized up, then exploded in pain. The Kaigan raced desperately through his mind, looking for the corrupt memory pathways, reorganizing them at a horrendous rate. Pain lanced through his body, then all went silent, and he was on the ground.

"D&() Prime... did you really need to do that?" Naruto gasped out.

Prime smiled, "Yep."

"Is that gonna happen for everyone?"

"No, just me, I will be summoning the others. You need to get back to work, I can only help you so much. Much like you, most of my memories have been erased, and replaced. Did you know Kyuubi was a master swordsman? Apparently he wandered the world as a mercenary for a time, selling his skills for the blood of children... Enough of that. The Kyuubi's memories have already invaded me, and they'll soon become apparent in yourself as you continue to use the Kaigan. I'm going to Kyojitsu to summon the others, then we're going to seal away the Kyuubi's memories from your Kaigan, so you don't start becoming him... I had wondered what he was up to when he gifted you with the truth seeing eye, and now I know."  
Naruto nodded, "Alright, I guess I'll be here fixing the place up."

Prime turned, then had another thought, "Before you do anything else, I suggest you set up a cage for the Kyuubi. Although he's still sealed inside your body, his sewer cage is quickly deteriorating as you continue to nourish and repair this world above. There's no telling when he'll show his ugly fa-"  
Prime would have finished, but the ground in front of him suddenly burst open, spitting debris and fire into the air. A clawed hand erupted from the hole, and Prime barely dodged the attack.  
**  
"You were saying? You insignificant worm!"** Kyuubi roared, climbing out of the hole.

Kyuubi's nine-tailed form stood a good meter of Naruto's head, not as large as the original, but still fairly intimidating when faced with. One of his tails whipped out, sending a gust of wind into the two shinobi, hurling them backwards.  
**  
"FREEDOM!" **Came the Kyuubi's triumphant roar.

"This is my mind!" Naruto yelled, forcing his will forward.

A tornado formed in the sky, touching down by the Kyuubi, closing in on it. Kyuubi snarled and whipped it's tail again. The tornado faded into a stiff breeze as the power of the Kyuubi slammed into it. Naruto and Prime stared in disbelief, shocked beyond words at the power which the Kyuubi held within Naruto's mind.  
**  
"Surprised? You shouldn't be. What do you think I've been doing all this time? Those spirals throughout your body are my doing, they've become gateways for my will into your mind. I've been able to rearrange your synapses to obey **_**my**_** commands. You are mine boy, in every possible way, Heart, Mind, and Soul. But you know what the funniest thing about this whole situation is? It's all because of the power which I lent you. The Kaigan was my path into your mind, did you know that Naruto? Your new bloodline, my power made manifest in this weak body, was the only way I could possess you. Every time you used the Kaigan, I was there, preparing the way, and now. You. Are. Mine."**

Kyuubi accented his words with a burst of his own willpower. Naruto and Prime stumbled under the sheer force of the Kyuubi's mental attack. Naruto glared at the fox and fired another salvo of will at the fox, only to have it reflect back on him. A pair of sledgehammer like attacks slammed into Naruto's body, sending him to the ground in the middle of the small glade he had created.  
**  
"Don't worry brat, I'll make you the most feared ninja in all the lands. Of course, we'll have to do something about the name. Uzumaki Naruto is not a fitting name for the lord of the Bijuu, perhaps... Well, I'll worry about that later. For now, Why don't you two get comfortable, after all, you won't be leaving there for a long time"  
**  
As Kyuubi spoke these words, steel bars sprung from the ground around the small glade Naruto had created, locking him and Prime inside, leaving Kyuubi to control Naruto's body. Naruto felt himself cut off from his body, and the cage glowed brightly as his chakra rushed into the prison with him. A small seal appeared on the cage doors, locking the two inside the prison which Kyuubi had dwelt in for so long.

"Well, it could be worse... he could be a girl..." Naruto said.

Prime blinked then looked at Naruto, Naruto's mouth fell open, "You're not serious..."

XXXXXX

Naruto's eyes flickered open. Well, to be more precise, Kyuubi flickered Naruto's eyes open, but getting technical would take waaayyy too long. He grinned malevolently, revealing a pair of uncannily sharp canines to match the red color of his eyes. It felt good to have a body again, even if it was this weak child's body.

Kyuubi flexed his arm, then sent a burst of demonic chakra down it's length. A wash of red flowed over it, and the highly dense muscles expanded slightly. Well, maybe not so weak, but that was because of him. He tested each of the muscles, sending his demonic chakra to places which he thought could use improvement. Which was pretty much all of them.

Kyuubi felt the presence of another within his mind, a seductive whisper of madness and insanity. He reached his hand up and covered the cursed seal which Naruto had absorbed from Anko, feeling it's voice flowing through him. Kyuubi sent another burst of demonic chakra through his system. The seal distorted strangely, and red marks began to writhe over the seal. The whispers grew insistent, and Kyuubi answered them.

Demonic chakra exploded into the room, sending anything that wasn't tied down flying. The whispers crescendoed, then died. The curse seal was now covered with the kanji for Makai. Kyuubi grunted in satisfaction, then pulled himself out of the bed, ignoring the well singed sheets that tumbled down from his body. He became aware that he was wearing only the brat's boxers, and quickly made a seal with his hands. Dark blue pants, a black shirt, and pair of black combat boots appeared on him.

"Much better... that gaki was such a baka, running around in that bright orange monstrosity. Even I know that a ninja should be stealthy, and I'm a bloody red fox!"

Kyuubi's enhanced ears picked up the movement of running feet, and he quickly settled against the wall as the door to his room flew open, revealing Tsunade, Jiraiya, and several ANBU in the doorway.

"Naruto! Is the seal damaged?" Jiraiya asked hurriedly, moving towards Kyuubi.

Kyuubi held out his hand, "No, everything is fine Jiraiya, now don't come any closer. I don't like perverts."

Tsunade's eyes narrowed, Naruto didn't talk like that, not even after the changes the Kaigan had wrought on him, "How do you remember Jiraiya?"

Naruto shrugged, "Some things stay and some go, but how I could I forget this old man?"

Jiraiya's face turned red and he moved to hit Kyuubi over the head. Kyuubi deftly avoided the attack and sent Jiraiya sprawling with a flick of his wrist and a kick to the back of the leg. Jiraiya sat there stunned for a second before regaining his feet.

"Naruto..." he began.

Kyuubi grinned, "He really was pathetic you know, couldn't master the gift I gave him, and now I'm back."

The ANBU flew into action, jumping in front of Tsunade, or at least trying too. Tsunade cleared them out of the way and sent a hammering blow at Kyuubi's stomach. Kyuubi deftly stepped aside, allowing Tsunade to destroy the wall behind him.

"Tut tut, legendary Sannin indeed. Is that all you can throw at me Tsunade? After all, the boy does hold you in such _high _regard." Kyuubi said, putting a mocking emphasis on the word high.

Jiraiya followed up Tsunade's attack with a punch of his own. Kyuubi caught his hand, then let fly his own attack. Jiraiya imitated Kyuubi's tactic, but grimaced as he felt one of his metatarsal's crack under the pressure of the attack.

"Naruto! Fight back, the power of the four point seal will help you overcome the Kyuubi!" Jiraiya yelled.

Kyuubi laughed, "Idiot! He's already my prisoner, and that's what happens to children who don't appreciate their gifts. Now, let me show you the true power of the Kaigan which your boy as only begun to scratch the surface of."

Kyuubi's chakra flared, then his eyes began to shift through every possible color. The color deepened, spreading out from his eyes and down along his body. Soon, Naruto's body had begun to change.  
_**  
Deru Ikari!**_

Kyuubi stepped out of the shifting form, then snapped his fingers. The multicolored haze solidified into a large nine-tailed fox, its' eyes glowing red, and with a coat of purest scarlet.  
"That pitiful thing of Naruto's was only a reflection of my true rage. And now that it's been free from it's long prison, I think it wants someone to kill, and he's not very picky about who it is."

Rage let loose a mighty roar, then charged.

A raging tsunami blew the room apart, allowing the ninja to leap out of the way onto the various rooftops around them. Three of the ANBU were blown away by the fierce winds, and several sported gashes from the razor sharp wind chakra embedded in the attack. Tsunade stood her ground, preparing another mighty punch, which would have sent any shinobi flying if it connected. Tsunade unleashed her ferocious attack, and her fist slammed home into Rage's nose.

Rage came to a complete stop, gazing it awe at the sheer power of the attack which had stopped it's unstoppable force. Tsunade smiled lightly, then let a left hook fly into the Kitsune's face. The piledriver hurled Rage from the room and out into the village, or would have, if Jiraiya hadn't been there with a Rasengan in hand. Jiraiya leaped into the air, throwing the spiralling sphere into the Kitsune's stomach. Rage snarled in pain as his direction was suddenly reversed by the raging power which dwelt in the small sphere in Jiraiya's hand.

Jiraiya landed crouched, but wasn't prepared for Kyuubi's attack. Kyuubi launched a kick into his back, sending the Sannin sprawling, but was prevented from further injuring the Sannin as Tsunade jumped into the fray, landing a shattering kick onto the place where Kyuubi had been standing a moment before. Kyuubi grinned manically at Tsunade, excited at the chance to fight once again, especially with the two strongest Konoha Shinobi.

Kyuubi's Kaigan flashed and he locked eyes with Tsunade, A wave of focused killer intent lanced out from him, empowered and magnified by the Kaigan. Tsunade froze as visions of the deaths of her loved ones flashed before her eyes. Kyuubi dashed forwards, blurring out of existence for a moment before landing a crushing uppercut under her chin. Tsunade grunted and flew into the air, bracing herself for an attack from below. She forgot one thing however, Rage.

Tsunade screamed out in pain as Rage careened into her back, digging his claws into her and raking with his rear legs. One of Rage's tails slashed forwards, leaving a huge burn mark on her head and singing away all of her hair. Tsunade felt her muscles dissolve into jelly, then let herself fall to the ground. Jiraiya dove out of the building, catching her mid fall, then placing her gently on the street below.

"Tsunade, you need to use..." But she had already begun  
_**  
Ninpo Sozo Saise**_

Jiraiya watched with his usual amazement as the markings on Tsunade's forehead disappeared, fueling the powerful technique and restoring Tsunade's body back to health.  
_**  
Rasengan!**_

_**Byakko Honoo  
**_  
Jiraiya scooped Tsunade up and launched himself forwards. The ground behind them was incinerated by Kyuubi's Rasengan, then what was left was glassed by Rage's fire attack. The pillar of flame swept across the ground towards Jiraiya, and he was forced to jump again to avoid the lance of pure white flame. A few civilians ran for cover, not all of them made it. Any who were caught in the blast were incinerated immediately, and an ANBU who tried using a water defense found himself steam cooked in a matter of seconds.

Jiraiya and Tsunade leaped back into the fray to protect the civilians. Tsunade slammed her foot into the ground, hitting a pipe and sending water gushing into the street. Jiraiya nodded, and performed seals in concert with Tsunade.  
_**  
Suiton, Suiryuudan no Jutsu  
**_  
The twin water dragons erupted from the ground, slamming into the fire emitting from Rage's nine tails. Both dragons began to shrink, but they made their way along the lance of flame up to the Kitsune, dousing the flames and sending Rage flying once again.

Demonic chakra erupted from Kyuubi's body, and he let loose a blast of chakra, knocking over several buildings and killing several more people. A dozen kunai buried themselves in his chest, but he simply shrugged them off, even going to far as to hurl one back at the ANBU who had thrown it. Another ANBU leaped into the air, bringing his sword up into a vertical slash at Kyuubi's midsection. Kyuubi focused his demonic chakra and hurled a bolt of it at the ANBU. The ANBU passed through the globe, and came out on the other side as a pile of bones and rust. Kyuubi grimaced, feeling more than three quarters of his massive chakra capacity drained into the attack.

_**Taimushifuto**_

Kyuubi landed in a cascade of bones, a highly oxidized sword landing behind him and shattering into dust.

"I must say, that was quite impressive, to charge Kyuubi, the master of the Kitsune with nothing but a blade of steel." Kyuubi mused, then looked up at Tsunade and Jiraiya, "And you two... you still live, this is quite impressive. I expected Rage to have finished you off by now, but apparently you are more resilient than I thought. It looks like it's time to unleash the full power of the Kaigan upon you."

Kyuubi gestured to the pile of bones behind him, "That was just a taste of what can be done with the power of truth on your side. Nothing is more powerful than the absolute truth, and the ability to bend it... even better. Time has no meaning to me now, and it's all thanks to your Naruto. You see, it was that perfect combination, the son of a great warrior, a hero denied by his own people. And of course me, the most powerful of all the bijuu. Uzumaki Naruto's DNA held the ability to step through time, much like your yellow flash did, and I held the ability to perceive truth. Combine those, and you create a dojutsu that sees through all lies. This technique is hundreds, if not thousands of times stronger than my original abilities, and the possibilities for it are endless. The Kaigan is not just some hyperactive way of telling the truth, it actually sees through time as space to the time at which a person received information, then funnels it into my consciousness, simplifying it into truth or fact."

Jiraiya's head spun, "That's not possible..."

Kyuubi laughed, "Not for a human, no, but for a bijuu? Yes. Why do you think I was altering Naruto? I didn't want to have my perfect dojutsu destroyed when the boy killed himself, or turned into a vegetable. I'm afraid while you were blundering around trying to figure out how to control his new abilities, I was already well on my way to gaining control. The Yondaime may have been able to seal my body, but there is no way to seal the mind."

An explosion of demonic chakra forced Jiraiya and Tsunade to their knees.

"And now, you bow before the great lord Kyuubi! Master of the Bijuu, and terror of Konoha! I will see every last man, woman, and child killed here, and you shall be my audience."  
Kyuubi raised his hand, then slashed downwards. The building next to him was engulfed in a pillar of flame, followed by a raging tempest which swept through the village. The blaze leaped from the building and engulfed the next, spreading rapidly through the building and cooking the inhabitants. Screams wafted out of the building and Kyuubi laughed in sheer pleasure at the pain which he was causing.

Jiraiya and Tsunade looked on in horror as Kyuubi began to finish what he had begun so long ago. The worst thing of all, was that they were helpless to do anything, even die for their precious village. Tears leaked down Tsunade's face, even as she attempted to bring all of her strength to bear against the power that was holding her captive. Jiraiya was trying to reach for a special seal which he had developed to block the Kyuubi's chakra, but he may well have been a butterfly trying to land in a hurricane. Their cause was hopeless, and yet, they continued to try.

Meanwhile, Kyuubi began his work on the next building, simply walking over to it and assaulting it with his bare fists. Chakra covered his hands in the form of claws and he tore huge chunks out of it. The inhabitants cried out and attempted to flee. Kyuubi unleashed another wave of demonic chakra, frying the few who managed to escape his clawed hands.

"It's the demon brat! He's come to kill us all!" Someone yelled.

Kyuubi's eyes narrowed and he turned down the street. Facing him was a large group of villagers, a smattering of chuunin, a fair group of genin, and one jounin.

"Get him! There's more of us!" Yelled the leader.

The ninja held back, knowing that this was no ordinary person, but soon followed in an attempt to protect the villagers from this monster.

Kyuubi snorted and laughed, "And now they come to me... Baka! I am no brat, I am the lord of the Bijuu, the one you know as Kyuubi. I remember every torment you laid upon me, and now, it's time for you to pay!"

Kyuubi drew himself up to the now five and a half foot tall Naruto which he had created and gazed arrogantly at the oncoming crowd. He raised one hand casually, then snapped his fingers. The ground underneath the villagers feet shook for a second, then began to writhe. Most of them stopped, allowing the ninja to grab as many villagers as they could and jump for the rooftops. A moment later, a fountain of molten earth tore the ground asunder and flowed over the people. Many screamed in agony as the viscous magma stuck to their bodies and burned straight through them, others died instantly as their bodies were consumed by the superheated earth.

Kyuubi felt a presence behind him, a powerful chakra signature, but not nearly deadly enough for him to worry heavily about. He clenched his fist and stepped forward, flinging his arm back as he spun to face his opponent.

A flow of magma responded to his call, leaping past him at the chakra signature.  
_**  
Hakkeshou Kaiten!**_

A wave of chakra hurled Kyuubi backwards as he was caught in the large blast radius of the Hyuuga clan technique. Kyuubi skidded along the ground, dangerously close to his own pool of now cooling magma. Kyuubi kept his eyes closed, then flashed them open as he felt the presence draw near.

Hyuuga Hiashi, head of the Hyuuga clan loomed over him, a hand already darting towards his stomach. Kyuubi snarled and caught the hand, but failed to intercept the burst of chakra which slammed into the four point seal, spiraling into the holding cell of Kyuubi's body.

Kyuubi howled in pain, clenching his fist so tight that he shattered the Hyuuga's wrist, then threw the man aside. Hiashi maintained enough sense of mind to land on his feet, crouching in a ready position, already using chiyute on his injured hand.

Kyuubi was rising when another signature closed in on him. He spun to intercept the attack, but was greeted by a fist from behind, this one too coated with the penetrating chakra that the Hyuuga's prided themselves in. Kyuubi dropped to his knees as the spiral seal absorbed more of the chakra, and his body took more punishment.

"What is this!?" he cried out.

Hinata and Neji landed next to Hiashi, helping him back to his feet, then falling into ready stances.

Hiashi obliged Kyuubi, "Kyuubi no Kitsune, you have been found guilty of the murder of innocents within the grounds of Konoha. The Hyuuga clan's specially formed bijuu slayer team has been dispatched to destroy you from within your prison. Every strike we land is a blow of monumental proportions to your body, and weakens your mind exponentially. We have trained for years, awaiting the day when we would have to kill you, and now that day is come. Neji?"

Neji dashed forwards, landing another blow on the crippled Kitsune. Kyuubi cried out in pain as the chakra coursed through the various four point seals which he had placed throughout Naruto's body and directly into his own body.

Neji stood back, "You see, the four point seal isn't just designed to hold you in, it is also an amplifier. Whenever we send chakra into the spiral, it multiplies itself a hundred-fold, then is directed straight into your cage, where it attacks your body. The Yondaime foresaw this day, knowing that there was no seal that could truly hold the great Kyuubi prisoner, and made preparations as so. He appointed Hiashi-sama as the keeper of this secret. The keeper of the seal if you will, and made him guardian over Naruto, always ready to deliver the blow should the need arise. And now it seems the time has come."

"Wait... What do you want? I can give you anything you desire, just don't destroy me." Kyuubi pleaded, now almost falling on his face.

Hinata dashed forward, delivering another blow, Kyuubi didn't have the strength to cry out, but the pain coursed through his body all the same. He could feel his vision darkening, and knew one more strike would be the end of him. He heard a whispered, "sorry Naruto" and a slight sob from the girl.

"Please..." he said.

Hiashi brought his hand up for the killing blow, then noticed the flashing of Kyuubi's eyes fade into the cerulean oceans which had always defined Naruto. Hiashi knew that killing Kyuubi would in effect destroy Naruto's soul, turning him into a vegetable at best, or a psychopathic killer at worst.

"Return to the seal and we will stop." Hiashi said.

Kyuubi's eyes narrowed, "And why would I do that? Better to die than to live a life in darkness and cold, alone, left to die when this boy bites off more than he can chew."

Hiashi shrugged, "The choice is yours."

Kyuubi pondered, then looked the Hyuuga in the eyes, then his eyes widened.

XXXXXX

Naruto snarled and brought his hand down on one of the bars, watching the scene of destruction through his 'eyes,' and never feeling so helpless to stop the slaughter which was going on outside of his body.

"Naruto, that's not going to help, you need to focus. Kyuubi may have taken control of your body, but you still control your mind, this cage is just the area of your physical brain to which he has confined it. There's more than enough space in here for you to summon up the power to break these bonds and escape, you just need to focus." Prime explained.

"How can I focus when he's out there killing people! Or she! Whatever!" Naruto yelled back.

"Yelling disperses your willpower Naruto, focus is what your goal should be. The Kaigan is _your_ tool, not Kyuubi's, despite what he says, it is born of you, imprinted on your DNA. Use it, repel the demon from your body."

Naruto sighed, then sat next to Prime, drawing up the force of his mind within his body. He felt a slight disturbance, and noticed that Kyuubi had been hit by a Kaiten. Then the pain began.

Naruto cried out it agony and fell to his side, Prime was at his side immediately, holding his arm. Prime could feel the damage being done to Kyuubi, and a shadow of the pain being forced into Naruto was being channeled into him as well. He knew that if his pain was just a hint, Naruto was being bombarded by agony.

Prime checked outside, hearing the Hyuuga's words, then the next two strikes, each one echoing greater in his body. He returned to the world of Naruto's mind and knelt next to him.

"They're destroying the Kyuubi Naruto, but if he gives you control, they're going to let you live. You and I both know that he will never go back willingly, you need to summon up your strength and force you mind back into domination! NARUTO!" Prime yelled.

Prime swatted Naruto's cheek, then sat him up, "I know that they're tearing your soul apart Naruto, but right now you have to get back in control or they will kill you."  
Naruto whimpered, then a sort of steel entered his eyes.  
_**  
Kaigan!**_  
_**  
KAIGAN!**_

Naruto and Prime activated their Kaigan's, a swirl of colors enveloped both of their eyes.

"I will guide you Naruto, just lend me your strength." Prime said.

Naruto forced the power of his Kaigan to come forth, then grasped Prime's hand, Prime gripped back, reassuring his friend.

Prime closed his eyes. The kaigan continued to swim under his eyelids, and it began to bleed out of his eyes and onto his body.  
_**  
Kenshou!**_  
_  
'Naruto, with me!'  
__**  
KENSHOU!  
**_  
The Kenshou flared brightly, illuminating their cage. Prime guided the Kenshou forwards, focusing the Kaigan into a tight beam, targeting one of the bars.

"This is my mind!" Prime said quietly.

The bar shuddered, "You hold no power her interposer, stand aside, the master returns."

Flecks of iron dropped from the bar, "STAND ASIDE!"

The bar burst into metal confetti, which quickly turned to Kyuubi's red youkai. The shower of youkai seeped into the ground, but Prime ignored it, enough time for that later.

"Kyuubi! Come forth!"

Prime and Naruto stepped out of the cage and Kyuubi materialized in front of them.  
**  
"Hm, impressive gaki, but how do expect to put me back in that miserable little cage?"  
**  
Naruto opened his eyes, "I'm not here to imprison you Kyuubi, I'm here to make a deal."  
**  
"Hmmm, it sounds better than what they have in mind. Go on..."**

Naruto smiled, and Prime nodded, already knowing the plan.

XXXXXX

Naruto's eyes returned to their normal size, then Hiashi saw the light in them reawaken.

"Naruto?" he asked cautiously.

Naruto nodded, "Yes Hiashi-sama."

Hiashi's Byakugan focused on Naruto, noting the re-entrance of blue chakra into the boy's coils. Satisified, he deactivated his Byakugan and offered his hand to the boy.

"So I take it Kyuubi has been returned to his seal."

Naruto nodded, "Of course Hiashi-sama."

Naruto leaned forward and hugged the man. Hiashi stiffened slightly, then held him back. A tear slid down Naruto's cheek.

"Thank you Hiashi..." he whispered.

Hiashi pulled away after a second, regaining his cool demeanor, "Naruto, you know that we cannot continue to associate. My linking to you would be too dangerous, but I promise you I will watch over you as often as I can."

Naruto nodded, "All the same, I thank you for stopping him... her, and I thank you for not killing me."

Hiashi sighed, "I only wish I could do more. Naruto, you have saved my family." he said, wrapping an arm around Neji, who although stiffening slightly, relaxed, "Now we must go. Our presence here could raise many questions as to how we defeated the Kyuubi."

The three Hyuuga disappeared onto the rooftops, returning to the manor. Tsunade and Jiraiya appeared next to Naruto.

"So, the Bijuu team had to move in..." Jiraiya mused, "Well, we have to keep this act up, Naruto, put this on your head."

Naruto took the seal and placed it on his head. He instantly felt the power of the Kyuubi dampen, then he collapsed.

Tsunade picked him up, "I'll take him back to his apartment, you clean up here."

Jiraiya nodded, "That boy is causing more trouble than he's worth... I think it's time."

Tsunade nodded, "One month, then you can take him, for now, he needs to recuperate and set his things in order."

* * *

Kakashi's notes! 

Kaigan and Time: The union between the ability to see truth and some ability locked within Naruto's DNA allows the user to manipulate time to some degree...

This will all be explained... soon ;)

Kyuubi and Mind Control: Not much to say.. Kyuubi has been altering Naruto since the beginning of this series. The development of the spiral chakra pathways in his body essentially created more gateways through which Kyuubi could escape. These pathways allowed Kyuubi to leak youkai into Naruto's system over a long period of time, altering his physical chemistry. The Kaigan was the gateway for mind control for the Kyuubi. The Kaigan is a creation of two minds, and each one holds claim over the power that it wields. When Naruto's mind was weakened by Kyuubi teaching him how to mold wind chakra, Kyuubi was able to use the Kaigan as a bridge through the seal into Naruto's mind and take over. Finally, the four point seal itself is made to bind the soul of Naruto and Kyuubi together, preventing Kyuubi from escaping in the event that the seal did eventually fail. This binding however, works both ways, allowing Kyuubi to gain a sort of domination of Naruto's soul. However, the soul is the most resilient part of the body, and in much the same way that Naruto cannot call upon the Kyuubi's chakra without being affected by him, Kyuubi cannot use Naruto's chakra unless he permits, and even then, Naruto would gain a measure of control over the mighty beast. When Kyuubi was weakened by direct attack to his sealed body, he lost strength of mind and spirit. Naruto was able to exploit this and with the help of Prime, escaped his prison and summoned the demon into his mind.

Curse seal, Makai: There are two basic curse seals, heaven and earth. Anko's seal was an earth seal, so Naruto inherited that one. Becuase the curse seal was essentially a genetic code (mutant ability) which Orochimaru implants in others, Kyuubi was able to affect it on a genetic level, turning it into a Makai (hell) seal. The implications of this have yet to be seen.

Kyuubi and gestures: Kyuubi is the lord of the bijuu, and as such, really has no need for hand seals to mold his chakra. He in fact does not even need to the small gestures he does, but enjoys dramatics enough to do them.

Byakko Honoo (White Fox Fire): White fox fire is the rage of the Kyuubi concentrated into a beam of white hot flame. This fire is so hot that it literally incinerates anything it it's path, and anything not incinerated, is irreparably changed. White fox fire requires a tremendous amount of chakra, and cannot be breathed out of the mouth, as doing so would result in serious injury to the user's mouth. This is a lost technique, known only to the Kyuubi, and can only be used by those with Kitsune ancestry (hint). White fox fire can be countered by a large source of water, but it often evaporates anything less than A ranked jutsu used against it. (S Rank, Fire type)

Taimushifuto (time-shift): This technique creates a bubble which causes anything moving through it to age at an unnaturally accelerated rate. It makes use of the powerful ability of the Kaigan to gain a partial mastery over time to make itself materialize. By projecting the kaigan's ability into space, the user essentially fast forwards the object through time, then returns it to the point at which it left. The full ramifications of messing with time will be revealed later. As for now, realize that the use of time-shift is an extremely dangerous move, and was only attempted by the Kyuubi in an effort to cow Tsunade and Jiraiya. Materializing a single ball of time shift took nearly 7 tails of Kyuubi's chakra. (Bijuu rank. Time type)

Well, enjoy... and review!


	10. Judgment

Alright, so who here is surprised at the speed of the current updates raises hand Yeah, apparently my KotS skills are improving or something, cuz I'm thrashing this stuff out my keyboard every night.

Well, hope you enjoy the newest chapter, next one will be much longer and will cover most of the people still in Konoha. Aaaannnd, OC's! Yes, everyone loves OC's

Standard disclaimer here... yeah.

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Naruto: Keeper of the Seal

Chapter 9

Judgment

Naruto settled down in comfort, safe in the security of his mindscape, he looked out at the work of beauty which he had created. Massive oaks towered over the blond, blocking the bright rays of sunlight that shone from the midday sun high in the air. Naruto sighed and breathed in the scent of the forest, catching the slightest hint of pine emanating from the grove of evergreens about a mile away. Naruto sat on the edge of the forest, gazing out upon the rolling hills of his mind. Pure green grass rippled in the cool breeze, lending an oceanic appearance to the wide plain. Hills reached out of the earth, creating a majestic rising in the middle of the plain, and at the very top, a manor stood. The sturdy construct stood proudly above the plain, granting a splendid view of the nearby lake, which rippled with the disturbing of thoughts and ideas which dwelt within it.

The manor itself was of course orange, but only the trimming. The rest was a splendid white, playing the suns rays off it in intricate patterns, lending the grounds with an almost protean air, constantly shifting in appearance. Of course, Naruto knew that the manor grounds actually _did_ change from time to time, depending on what his aspects were doing at the time, and his own mood.

"Naruto..." Prime asked, appearing beside him.

Naruto nodded, "I know, it's time to go back."

Prime put a hand on Naruto's shoulder, "Don't worry Naruto, it'll all be here when you get back, I'll make sure of that."

Naruto nodded, "Thanks Prime... It's just..." Naruto sighed, "I spent a lot of time getting it just right. Look, I even made a place for the Kaigan!"

Prime smiled, looking towards the area where Naruto pointed, "I think it's happy."

"It bloody well better be. Semi-sentient bloodlines these days are hard to please, and I spent a lot of time making that place perfect."

Prime snickered, "Careful Naruto, you're sounding fatherly, next thing you know you'll be calling it your son."

Naruto snorted, "Yeah, ok."

Naruto and Prime looked towards the area where the Kaigan resided. A maze of crystals rose out of the earth, each one creating a unique refracting surface, and others, a light holding mass which held the Kaigan itself. The Kaigan blazed brightly for a second, then went back to exploring it's new home. Naruto focused on the single white crystal in the middle of the cluster, searching, and finding, the small blot of red and black which dwelt within it.

"Kyojitsu seems to be doing fine." Naruto said

Prime nodded, "I will keep it sealed until you call upon it's power. But remember, it will become weaker as you use it more, so save it for later... I'm not quite sure that using it on Itachi was the best idea."

Naruto gave Prime a look, "I have my reasons for doing so."

Prime raised his eyebrows, "Oh really?"

Naruto gave a small smirk, "You'll have to wait and find out Prime, my mind isn't a safe place to say things, not while Itachi can overhear."

Prime shrugged, then moved in front of Naruto, "I'll keep watch over Kyuubi, make sure he adheres to the bargain."

"I see no reason why he shouldn't, I've given him free reign over a portion of my mind, and he even has access to the Kaigan. Speaking of which, have you made any progress trying to develop a Kaigan for Kyuubi, I don't want him messing with mine."

Prime shook his head, "I think the Kaigan is a life-form unique created by the binding of two souls, it can't survive without both of you, and creating another to dwell in your mind..." Prime shuddered, "I can only imagine the havoc that would cause."

"And Kyuubi's body?" Naruto asked.

"It's still too damaged. Now that Kyuubi has completely transferred his consciousness into your mind, it no longer has the ability to withstand the power of the Kaigan. Either that, or the Kaigan would take control of Kyuubi's chakra, essentially creating another bijuu in your body."

"Ah... that wouldn't be good, it's already crowded enough in here with the two of us, no more bijuus please."

Prime nodded, then took Naruto's hand, "Are you ready?"

Naruto nodded. The Kaigan flared to life in Prime's eyes, then he looked into Naruto's. Naruto felt the power of the Kaigan seep into his body, then he fell.

XXXXXX

Naruto's eyelids crawled open, and he stared at the ceiling of his shabby apartment. Naruto heard the scuffle of disturbed vermin as they realized his waking and scurried off to their holes. Naruto sighed and stretched out his arms, then settled back down. There was really no point in getting up at the moment. He knew that he was going to have to face judgment for the crimes which Kyuubi had committed while possessing his body, and he wanted a little peace before his life was once more thrown into disarray.

Naruto sat for a few more hours, then summoned up his reserves of strength and stepped out of bed. Kyuubi's outfit was folded on one of the chairs in his room, and he decided to stick with the change, donning the blue pants, black shirt, and combat boots. Naruto filled the holsters on the sides of the boots with kunai, then strapped his weapon holster to his right leg, at about wrist height, if he kept his arms slack. He walked over to the mirror and examined himself. He had to admit, his new outfit looked pretty good, that, and the fact that he was sure that none of his old clothes fit him anymore.

Naruto examined himself more closely, taking in the new body which Kyuubi had wrought during his brief time in control. Naruto could feel the unnaturalness of his body, the... alienness. He experimented with his new ribs, lifting his shirt and watching as the new ribs shifted when he applied certain muscle groups to a task. He also noticed the fact that his muscles were far larger and more sculpted than usual. Demonic chakra did have it's ups and downs. On that note, he also took a close look at his height, noticing that he had grown at least another four inches in the past day, also a likely result of Kyuubi's influence, and the fact that he was no longer exactly human. His face had lost all traces of baby fat, replaced by a chiseled jaw and regal features that were present on the face of the fourth Hokage.

In fact, without his forehead protector holding back his hair, Naruto was fairly sure that he would be the spitting image of the yondaime. He tried it out, then, finding the appearance to be quite formidable, strapped his forehead protector around his right arm.

"Alright... I guess it's time to go and face the day. KONOHA! HERE I COME!" Naruto yelled, letting his exuberance out at his new body.

Naruto stretched his tight muscles once more, then dove out the window. He landed with practiced grace on an outstretched branch of the tree next to his apartment, and sent himself hurtling through several dozen yards of free air onto the nearest rooftop. He rolled with the shock, then drove himself forward, dashing across the long roof and stepping from roof to roof on his way to the Hokage tower.

Of course, he didn't plan on the fact that there were ANBU watching his apartment under orders from Danzo, awaiting his awake and preparing to intercept him should he attempt to make contact with the Hokage.

Naruto found his forward momentum suddenly arrested, and to say the least, he wasn't happy about it. Several ninja wires were wrapped around his body, preventing him from moving forward, and cutting deep into his skin, sometimes even drawing blood.

"Naruto-san, we have been ordered to bring you in, any attempt to resist will be seen as treason, and will be met with deadly force. Will you comply?" Asked one of the ANBU.

"Who sent you?" Naruto asked.

"That is of no concern, all you need know is that your hearing begins in five minutes, and we must be there. Now, will you come peaceably, or will we have to force you."

Naruto let his muscles relax, "Yes, I'll come with you, though to what end I do not know."

The ANBU relaxed and gestured for the other two to release him, and they immediately escorted him to the Hokage tower, but not to the Hokage's office as Naruto had planned, but to a lower office. The seat of judgment.

As Naruto entered, he gazed up at the gathered elders and shinobi who represented each clan. Many of the looks given to him were in fear, some in hatred, and a small minority, mostly shinobi, in pity. Naruto could not find any kind eyes, and he was sure he knew why. The council had made it's decision long before this hearing had begun, now all they were going to do was discredit him, maybe even provoke him into attacking someone so that they could have solid proof that the Kyuubi was now in control of his body. Of course, if Kyuubi were in control, they would all be dead right now.

**'Yeah, they would'** Kyuubi interjected

_'Quiet Kyuubi, there's a Yamanaka in here, they might be able to sense your presence if you don't lie low.'_

Kyuubi snorted, **'Let me at them Naruto, it won't take long. Then we can really start to have some fun'**

Naruto growled inwardly, _'Kyuubi, no. Killing these people would only send an army of ninja after us, and even you would have a hard time fighting that many men while still in a human body'_

Kyuubi sighed then fell silent. Naruto also sighed, then drew himself up, prepared to face the abuse that was about to be hurled at him.

The head of the council stood, "Uzumaki Naruto, you have been charged with the slaughter of no less than one hundred innocent villagers, the injury of two hundred and sixty eight villagers, and the killing of three Konoha shinobi. What do you have to say?"

Naruto was about to open his mouth when a hand came to rest on his shoulder. He looked over and saw one of the ANBU pull his mask off to reveal Kakashi. The other two ANBU revealed themselves to be Kurenai and Asuma.

"What is the meaning of this! I sent my own men to retrieve Naruto, in case he resisted. What are you three doing?" Yelled Danzo, standing up.

Kakashi smiled, "It appears as if your men got lost on the road of life."

Danzo's eye narrowed, then he took his seat, done playing the villain for now. The fact of the matter was, Danzo _needed_ Naruto to remain alive and within the village, and he had sent his ANBU roots to 'kill' him so he could secret him away in the ANBU roots HQ till things could settle down. However, those three meddlers... this would be difficult.

Kakashi took the stand in the middle of the council, and looked into the eyes of each member before speaking, "Honorable elders, honored guests, and my fellow shinobi, you are all here for one reason. To accuse this boy of a crime he did not commit. A crime which he has been born to prevent, and because of circumstances beyond his control, was unable to stop. I can see in your eyes the conviction already falling, and nothing said here will make much of a difference. Our main purpose here is to change the manner of the punishment which is to laid upon him."

One of the elders rose, "Kakashi, you know the only acceptable fate for a traitor is of this magnitude is death. Anything less would result in a civil uprising, especially in this incident, where the return of the Kyuubi is at stake."

Kurenai stepped up to the center, "The Kyuubi has already returned, and in fact, never left us. It was imprisoned in the body of this child, and remains there to this very day. But, circumstances have changed. The four point seal is weakening, and the Kyuubi is beginning to take control of Naruto's body, what do you think it would do if you instilled execution at this point?"

The elder's face blanched slightly, and he took his seat, another elder stood to take his place.

"Kurenai, this threat does not do well for your case. How do you know that we won't just have him killed later, after pronouncing a pardon? What reason do we have for keeping him alive now that his use as a container is over?"

Kurenai bowed, "The fact that you would pardon him would give the Kyuubi suspicions, and cause it to break out once again and escape, as long as Naruto remains alive and well, he can prevent the Kyuubi from escaping. Not only that, but now that Naruto has contact with his tenant, he will be able to control the Kyuubi's chakra with an even greater precision, allowing him to become a greater asset to the shinobi of this village."

Many of the shinobi perked up at this. Many of them had faced the Kyuubi when it had come to destroy Konoha, and having it's strength at their command would be a valuable asset in the coming war with Oto.

Hyuuga Hiashi stood, motioning for the elder to take his seat, "Uzumaki naruto could be a powerful asset to us. Not only does he have the power of the Kyuubi at his disposal, but he has also developed a unique bloodline, who's limits have yet to be seen. Destroying, or losing such a marvelous technique would be a powerful blow to this village, considering our already damaged manpower. Every shinobi, and especially one as powerful as Naruto must be considered a resource, and exploited accordingly. I move to alter the punishment on one Uzumaki Naruto to a lesser category, reserving his strength for a time in which we need it."

Hiashi took his seat, only to be replaced by Danzo, "I second the motion, and should it be accepted, I would propose a punishment of my own."

Danzo sat, and silence reigned. Many were torn, they knew that they needed Naruto, but they also knew that having around was a potential danger. No one stood for a long time. Naruto could feel the weight of the air settle upon him, and he was fairly sure someone was using a tension jutsu.

One of the elders cleared his throat, then stood, only to fall back into his chair as the council doors flew open. An enraged Tsunade stormed through the doors, eyes blazing in fury and fists ready to pummel anyone who stood in her way.

"Ah, Tsunade, what an unexpected surpri-" the head elder began

"QUIET!" Tsunade yelled, planting herself firmly in the middle of the room, "How dare you call a meeting of the council without informing me! Danzo! What is the meaning of this!"

"I am not the one responsible for the inviting of people to these councils Tsunade, and if you'll notice, the letter you received was delivered by one of _my_ ANBU. It is in my best interests to have you here honorable Hokage, so I took steps to make it so." Danzo replied from his seat.

The rest of the council gaped at Danzo, they all knew that he had been one of the strongest proponents for the killing of Naruto when he was a child. This sudden change was quite a surprise. Many of the elders were struck by this change, others felt betrayed. Many of the Shinobi began thinking of what use Naruto would be to Danzo, considering he was so eager to protect him. The three rookie nine sensei's were shocked to say the least, they had not had the time to warn Tsunade about the meeting, and had only just made it in time to intercept Danzo's men. Now they weren't so sure as to what was going on.

Tsunade interrupted all other speculation, "Regardless, I third the motion to have Uzumaki Naruto's punishment reduced, and have a suggestion of my own once you are ready to hear it."

Naruto and his three sponsors sighed in relief, then looked to Tsunade. Tsunade smiled at Naruto and turned to face the council.

"While Naruto has been indisposed, I have been making arrangements for Naruto to attend a training trip. He will be traveling with the Sannin Jiraiya, learning everything the man has to teach him, in addition to avoiding the group known as Akatsuki. I propose that as punishment, Naruto be forced to attend this trip against his wishes, and upon his return, depart immediately to return to the village the last Uchiha. Upon return of Uchiha Sasuke, Naruto will be expunged of all crimes, and will then be allowed to participate in missions as a Konoha shinobi. In addition, Naruto has been stripped of his rank as a Konoha shinobi, and will have to recomplete the proper amount of missions in order to attain the ability to advance to the rank of Chunin."

Many of the council nodded in agreement, then turned to Danzo.

"Although Tsunade's punishment is just, I find a need to place a harsher penalty upon a murderer."

"He's not a murderer!" yelled Kakashi.

"Silence Kakashi, you will have your chance to speak," Danzo spat, "Now, I have been conducting research into the caged bird seal used by the Hyuuga clan, and have found a way to replicate it's effects in a non-Hyuuga. I believe that the best choice would be to place this seal upon Naruto, making him subservient to the will of the council. After the placement of this seal, Naruto will be expunged of all crimes, and will become the tool of this council, a weapon to fulfill our needs. In addition, Naruto will be inducted into the ANBU roots, and will fulfill missions which will be essential to the maintaining of our great village. He may attend this training mission with Jiraiya as a way to make him more useful to this village, and he will be sent on a mission to return the last Uchiha to us. However, it will be at our discretion, not his."

An even greater number of the council nodded at Danzo's suggestion. Having the perfect weapon under your control would be even better than a loyal shinobi. Shinobi had a habit of turning against you, but a tool... a tool can do nothing without the master's hand.

"NO!" Tsunade yelled, "This is unacceptable Danzo! Once you seal Naruto, where will it end? Will we have every gennin become a tool, just a weapon for you to use?"

Danzo straightened, "If that is what it must come to Tsunade. You have lost sight of your goal. I however, will do everything in my power to make sure that this mighty village does not fall."

Kakashi stepped up, "But not at the cost of freedom! What do you think you'll obtain from this?! A village of slaves?"

The two other jounin joined him in protest, but were silenced by the head of the council.

"We must vote on this issue. All in favor of Danzo?"

A chorus of assent followed his words. Naruto could already feel the burn of the seal upon his body.

"Of Tsunade?"

The voters were fewer, but most were Shinobi, who let their outrage be known. Hiashi put his face in his hands, already knowing the outcome.

The head stood, "Then it is agreed, Naruto, you will accompany Danzo to his Root headquarters to have this new seal placed upon you."

Kakashi, Asuma and Kurenai drew weapons, unwilling to let their compatriot go. Tsunade also took a fighting stance next to the boy.

"This is madness Danzo, we won't allow you to start controlling shinobi, as hokage I hereby nullify your power as leader of Roots, step down." Tsunade declared.

"I'm sorry Tsunade, but only the council has the power to revoke my rights as the leader of ANBU Roots, and you don't see many of them preparing to force me from my position. Now, step aside or you will be dealt with." Danzo said dangerously.

Tsunade glanced at the three jounin sensei's beside her, they all nodded, putting away their weapons.

"Excellent, now, hand over Naruto." Danzo urged.

Instead of doing as he said, Kakashi kneed Tsunade in the back, sending her flying to the floor. Him and the three jounin sensei's formed a triangle around Naruto and formed a single seal. Before any of the shinobi in the crowd could react, Naruto and the three jounin disappeared in a puff of smoke. Most of the elders gaped, unwilling to believe that three of their strongest jounin had just betrayed the village for the Kyuubi brat. Most of the shinobi in the crowd sent a prayer of godspeed to them, hoping that Naruto would escape the torture of becoming a tool.

The council chambers erupted in shouts and yells. Danzo stood over it all, watching Tsunade get up with a slight smile on her face, which was quickly replaced by a look of rage and betrayal.

"So Tsunade, it begins. Well, you're playing a game with the best of them..." Danzo whispered before turning and leaving in silence.

XXXXXX

Naruto, Kakashi, Kurenai and Asuma appeared in a small clearing just outside the city walls. Tsunade had temporarily lowered the seals which prevented shinobi from body flickering in and out of the walls, and they had taken full advantage of it.

Kakashi turned to Naruto, "Naruto... I'm so sorry."

Naruto didn't look at him, "I knew this day would come. Kakashi, Asuma, Kurenai... you three, I'm expecting you to take care of my precious people. Your students, Iruka, Ichiraku... all of them."

The three nodded, then Asuma held out a scroll, "This is a scroll on learning to control your natural chakra affinity. I know you've already mastered it with Kyuubi's help, but this should explain the sort of things you can do with that power, and how to harness it even further." Naruto took it, "And take these, I have a feeling I won't be needing them for a while, they'll help you train." Asuma handed him his knuckle blades.

Kurenai looked him up and down, "They say you're more powerful than you look, and if that's so... well, all I can offer you is this scroll on genjutsu. It teaches you how to create genjutsu using your eyes, something that might do good for you." Naruto took this one as well.

Kakashi put a hand on Naruto's shoulder, "Naruto... of all my students, I can tell you will shine the brightest. You weren't the smartest, or the most powerful, but you had compassion. This above all is a skill that all shinobi should possess. Your kindness of heart will lead you through the darkness as you travel. I will protect your precious people Naruto, but it will be your faith in me that watches over them."

Kakashi handed him a scroll and a three pronged kunai, "That scroll contains many things, messages from your friends, jutsu they want you to learn. Above all though, it contains your father's work on sealing, and his most powerful technique, Hirashin. This is the last of the kunai that he used to accomplish the technique, hopefully you can make more sense of it than any of us."

Kakashi hugged him, "Goodbye Naruto. Remember, those who don't obey the rules are trash..."

Naruto tilted his head, but only slightly because of his new height, "But those who leave their friends behind are worse than trash."

Kakashi nodded, his eye crinkling into an upside down U, and he let Naruto go.

"I'll be back Kakashi-sensei, and when I do, this will all end. I'll become the greatest Hokage Konoha has ever seen."

Kakashi folded his arms, "Don't you already have the promise of a lifetime to fulfill?"

Naruto gave Kakashi one of his biggest smiles, hiding a tear that was forming in his eye, "All part of the plan sensei."

The goodbye was cut short by a sudden spike in chakra, and a rushing funnel of flame that careened down towards them. Thinking quickly, Naruto formed a Rasengan in a split second, then brought his hand up. His teachers, not even aware of the danger, had time to turn their heads and notice the pillar of flame bearing down on them. They moved to dodge, but it was already too late. But not for Naruto.

_**Futon Rasengan. KAI!**_

The spiraling sphere in his hand shuddered, then exploded. A tornado of wind erupted from his palm, lancing out into open air and impacting the fire. The flames that would have consumed his teachers met their match in Naruto's newest technique, and were blown backwards, instantly frying the user.

"Naruto, run!" Kakashi cried out, turning to face the oncoming shinobi, "We'll be fine, but you need to leave!"

Naruto hesitated for a second, then leaped away.

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The last installment of Kakashi's notes... obviously because Kakashi won't be in the fic for a while, don't worry, they'll be back, and it's gonna be relabeled, so you'll still get your Naruto science for the day.

The Mindscape: So, in case any of you were wondering, Naruto has pretty much fixed up his mindscape, we may have some flashbacks to the actual process, but it's way to trippy to write right now. The Kyuubi has been 'uploaded' into Naruto's mind from it's own body which is still locked in the seal. Naruto's evolving Bijuu brain is able to hand having two beings trapped within it, as long as Naruto and Kyuubi don't come into conflict over something, they'll be perfectly fine... yeah, that's it. This comes from the fact that humans don't use all of their brain capacity, so Naruto just put some aside for Kyuubi to use, basically putting down some land markers in your own mind, divide and conquer etc. etc.

The Kaigan: Yep, it's true, the Kaigan is a semi-sentient life form. Sure, it's a truth telling, time traveling semi-sentient life form, but it's still sentient. It's basically like the bacteria that live in your body, they're living organisms, they seek to survive and carry out many natural processes, and they even have a slight amount of intelligence, but they're a part of you, and can't really exist without you. However, the Kaigan is more like a dog or cat in terms of intelligence, but a dog or cat that can fit inside your head... erm, well, that's enough of that. You could also describe the Kaigan as a sort of separate personality, but we won't get into that either.

Futon Rasengan. Kai (Wind Release Spiralling Sphere. Release): Probably the greatest power of the Rasengan is it's adaptability. The Rasengan is a sphere of pure chakra, often used as a close combat weapon which is shoved into the opponent's body, causing massive damage and sending the person flying. However, this basic level is just a platform which can be used in conjunction with other techniques to create a truly devastating attack. This property alone makes it probably the most powerful jutsu in the ninja world. This variation of the Rasengan merely adds in the wind element of a user to begin with. Then, the user creates a small disturbance in the Rasengan, causing the vortex to destabilize, unleashing a massive torrent of condensed, hyper-accelerated chakra in the direction which the user points. The user's wind element chakra creates cyclonic winds which can reflect all but the most powerful of earth element attacks. The most amazing thing about this attack however, is that it is not actually a ninja technique requiring hand seals, thus, it can be used in conjunction with any attack that would require a fan or other wind propelling object to use. This makes these types of attacks quicker, and exponentially more powerful than they are initially. Naruto's use of this technique combined with the fire technique being used and created a vortex of flame which could have melted salt (for those of you who don't take chemistry, that's really hot), and essentially disintegrated his opponent.

That's all for now. As always, I welcome all questions, and respond to those who would like to know. Also, if you would like any more clarification on anything you find in Kakashi's notes, don't hesitate to ask. Later!


	11. The Time for Change

Woooo! New chapter!

Standard disclaimer here! MUAHAHA.

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Naruto: Keeper of the Seal  
Chapter 10  
The Time for Change

To say that the sudden and violent departure of Konoha's number one most surprising ninja was an object of some gossip would have been an understatement. The departure of the Kyuubi could be clearly defined by three phases. Phase one, Panic.

Panic could be described by the word itself. Every member of Konoha had lived their life knowing that the Kyuubi had been 'brainwashed' by the Yondaime to be absolutely loyal to the hidden leaf village. They had felt no remorse over beating the boy half to death, because they knew that any vengeance would be precluded by the power of the four point seal, and that pain was the deserved reward for such a monster. However, now that he had departed the village, the people 'knew' that the four point seal had begun to fail, and the Kyuubi would shortly return.

Chaos gripped the little village as villagers, and even a large portion of ninja, fell into a state of panic. The villagers all fled to specified shelters designed in the case of enemy invasion, while the ninja began gathering their weapons and saying goodbye to their loved ones. murmurs could be heard in every street, complaints of people who felt that the brat had just disrupted their lives again. Some even went as far as to suggest that they should have killed the boy as a child, preventing this sudden change in the seal's power. This talk was quickly quieted by the shinobi who were loyal to the Sandaime, but not quite on Naruto's side.

During this time of panic, word spread of the actions of Kakashi, Asuma and Kurenai. Outrage greeted these three ninja when they were led into the city, bound by chakra shackles and escorted by a full two squads of ANBU. Spit, rotten food, and even weapons were hurled from the angry crowd as the three were forced towards the holding cells in the interrogation unit's headquarters.

"You set the demon free!"

"Why would you betray your own village?"

"Take this you bastards!"

This general dissent led into the second phase of the Kyuubi's escape, anger.

The anger phase was simply what it was, anger. Many of the shinobi of the village swore oath's against the Kyuubi brat, promising that they would hunt him down and kill him for betraying their village. The villagers themselves began assembling likenesses of Naruto and destroying them just as they had the boy himself. Naruto's apartment would never be used again, seeing as how it was put to the torch, in an effort to 'cleanse' Konoha of the Kyuubi's cursed taint.

During this phase, many of the villagers left the shelters and began yelling in the streets for the Kyuubi brat to come back so they could teach him a lesson. After all, they had punished him before, what was to stop them from doing it now? All fear of the fact that Naruto had been controlled by the Kyuubi was gone by now. The loved ones of the dozens slaughtered during Kyuubi's brief rampage put out a collective bounty of Naruto's head, high enough to be attractive to all but jounin who performed S class missions regularly. Needless to say, many ninja attempted to take time off to go after the brat.

In order to stem the tide of pursuit, Tsunade declared a state of emergency. A state of emergency prevented ninja from taking time off, and any ninja who were currently taking time off had to report for duty immediately. Many saw this as a wise decision, better to have every ninja on duty and ready to fend off the Kyuubi than to have them searching in random directions for him. However, others saw through this ruse, and secretly cursed the Hokage for protecting the brat. Among those who knew the real reason was Danzo, who immediately began assembling a small group of loyal un-registered shinobi to go in pursuit of Naruto.

The anger phase faded after a few days and finally went into full blown celebration mode.

As can be expected, celebration mode held nothing back. Shinobi and villager alike cavorted through the streets, gleefully celebrating their release from the baleful influence of the Kyuubi. Vendors opened up their stalls, announcing sales, and in some cases, even free items to the celebrators. Gifts were many and more than a few people got drunk and danced in the village streets, giving no heed to the looks tossed at them by the few friends of the Kyuubi brat.

Speaking of the Naruto's friends...

The Hyuuga household had never seen this much contention since the creation of the caged bird seal. Hyuuga Hiashi had issued a decree that those responsible for the leaking of the caged bird seal information were to be found and brought to him immediately. A noticeably small group of Hyuuga took notice of this decree, and unsurprisingly, it was mostly ignored by the branch house. The branch house had suffered under the burden of the caged bird seal for their entire lives, and they felt that it would do the main house some good to have their own foreheads branded with a seal that would render them slaves to another, even if it cost the freedom of some non-Hyuuga shinobi. Neji, and Hinata began their own search for the reason behind the leaked seal, but were meeting with no information. Neji had been warned off several times by his fellow branch house members, and had even been subjected to the pain of the caged bird seal by some main house members when he went too far. Hinata would find threatening notes and sometimes even traps set up in her room at night, and had gotten into the habit of changing which room she slept in every night to avoid these attempts on her.

The Akimichi, Yamanaka, and Nara clans all exempted themselves from the celebrations, choosing to cloister their members within the small compounds they owned on the north side of the village, hoping that their close proximity and great numbers would deter the council from trying to place any of their members under this new caged bird seal. The Nara's even went so far as to put their best minds to work on finding a way to counter the seal, in the event that one of their clan, was marked. The Yamanaka's proved invaluable in this research, as their mind based jutsu gave them a greater understanding of the brain and how it could be enslaved.

Ino, Shikamaru and Chouji were kept mostly to their clans, but met occasionally to train or complete a mission brought to them by a representative of the Hokage, the only person allowed into the grounds besides members of the clans present. Shikamaru spent most of his time helping with the production of a counter seal, but had had no luck in finding a solution. He had resorted to referring to the lab as the troublesome room.

Almost every Inuzuka and Aburame suddenly found that their lives had become very busy, and not to say the least, they were unable to help in the locating of Naruto. The loss of Konoha's greatest trackers was a crippling blow to the Naruto retrieval mission, and caused a great deal of frustration to Danzo, who had to resort to the few pariahs of both clans, who had been cut off from their techniques and animal partners when they had left. An Inuzuka without his dog was only half a ninja, but a Aburame without his Kikai was a liability, seeing as how the colony which had once dwelt inside of him had stunted his chakra abilities.

Kiba and Shino gained a newfound sense of teamwork as they were forced to complete what little missions they received without the help of the lavender eyed team mate. They had continued with missions because the Naruto retrieval mission was ranked A class, and no one would dream of sending gennin out to hunt down the Kyuubi, especially two of the most promising wielders of their bloodlines to appear recently. Any talk of using the new seal of the two heirs was quickly quashed by threats of defection, which the council took very seriously. They weren't willing to give up their best tracking clans for the ability to control just one of each.

Lee and Tenten also found an increase in teamwork, and Tenten began training harder with Gai, intent of increasing her speed and strength to avoid a defeat like that in the Chuunin exams. She had not yet began to wear the green spandex of her sensei and fellow teammate, but was tempted every time to jsut give in and make Gai shut up about his falmes of youth and such. Then of course, she remembered that this would result in Gai using his patented sunset/crashing waves genjutsu on her with a copious amount of hugging. Her resolve suddenly found itself hardened.

As for Kakashi, Kurenai and Asuma... they along with Anko became the first victims of the new caged bird seal. For those three, it was obvious why, considering that they had openly defied the council. but Anko was a different matter altogether.

After hearing of the council's plan to enslave Naruto, she had immediately thrown on her trench coat and headed for the council chambers. The minute Naruto left the room, Anko dropped in, unleashing a wave of shuriken on the surprised council members. The shinobi in the crowd, too stunned to react, had all taken minor wounds from the small, accurate projectiles. The civilian elders took far more grievous wounds, their flesh and reflexes not trained to deal with an attack from a special jounin. Needless to say, several were put into serious condition, and two even died shortly after, due to the poison coating her weapons.

Anko had thrown down two smoke bombs and disappeared, satisfied with the panic and confusion she had caused, but found the imposing figure of Danzo standing in her way. Before she could react, Danzo's hand lashed out and grabbed her by the throat, lifting her up into the air. Several instants later, Anko was surrounded by the ANBU guards and apprehended.

The process of applying the seal had not been an easy one...

XXXXXX  
_Danzo stood in the room, holding in his hand a concoction made from the blood of each of the council elders and himself. He poured it into a vat of ink, then motioned to his subordinate, Sai._

"Sai, paint the seals on them, the rest of you, hold them down." Danzo ordered.

Each of the victims was already strapped to a table which held a chakra suppressing seal on it, but even so, the twenty ANBU in the room took and arm, leg, or head of the jounin and held them still while Sai began his calligraphy. The seal formed a three chain link over the back of the victims neck, then wound down across their backs, crossing over their hearts and down to their feet and the ends of their hands. Sai waited for the ink to dry, then stepped into the center of a sealing circle whose strands wound up onto the tables and into the chakra suppressing seals.

"fuuin." He muttered.

Each of the jounin writhed, but refused to cry out in pain. The chains painted on their bodies came alive, growing and writhing under the skin, then penetrating deep into their bodies. They each felt a heaviness in their hearts, then a cloud settled over their minds. The chains returned to their skin, then snaked outwards, encircling the neck and forming a cross shaped seal on their throats. The pain faded and each of the jounin relaxed, feeling the haze fade from their minds.  
"Loose their bindings." Danzo said.

The ANBU obeyed immediately, releasing their four prisoners.

Danzo's eyes took on a glint, "Kakashi, why don't you show us your Chidori?"

Kakashi, felt a tugging at the back of his mind, and decided that it would be best if he activated his Chidori. He didn't question the instinct, but merely allowed it to carry out it's wishes. Kakashi sped through some seals, then held his hand, allowing the lightning chakra to flare to life, creating his most deadly technique.

"Anko... why don't you take that ANBU's kunai and attack me?"

Anko leaped gladly to the task, snatching the kunai out of her captors amazed grasp and charged the old man, intent on killing him. Anko's speed was formidable, butnot as formdiable as Kakashi's.

Kakashi felt a tugging at his brain, realizing that Anko was about to kill his commander. He dashed forward, catching her kunai arm with one hand and punching forward with his Chidori. Then suddenly, he stopped. He looked down in confusion at his arm, and found a chain traveling from inside of his wrist over behind him. He glanced back and saw danzo smiling, the chain held in his hand. The Chidori highlighted the chain, sending crackling shapes across it's surface, reminding him of a snake.

Kakashi felt the haze fall from his mind and he gasped. He had almost killed Anko! He immediately let the chidori disperse and turned to Danzo.

"You scum..." Was all he could say, before hands wrapped around his throat.

Danzo smiled once again, snapping his fingers. The grip around Kakashi's throat faded, he fell to the ground, coughing.

"You four are now the ultimate weapon. A shinobi who doesn't let his emotions get in the way of completing the mission, and follows orders exactly to the letter." Danzo said, "You still have your own thoughts, and you may even take actions on your own, but you are now subordinate to me. You will do what I tell you, when I tell you, and you will do it gladly. And even if you find a way to resist... Well, then I'll be forced to kill you."

Danzo emphasized his point using the seals to apply slight pressure to their throats. They all nodded and the pressure faded. Danzo laughed, then opened the door and left.

"Report to Danzo personally for your next assignments tomorrow." Sai said, then left, the ANBU trailing him.

The four victims huddled together. Together, but alone. Alone in their own dark prisons.

XXXXXX  
Naruto felt a slight twinge in his mind. He gazed back at Konoha for a second, then continued through the forest. The Makai seal of his shoulder burned slightly, and he knew that Anko had been hurt. It wasn't the surety that comes from seeing blood, or an open wound. No, it was more like a primal instinct, the same power that allows a mother to know when her child is about to wake, or the instinct of animals to hide in case of a rainstorm. Naruto paused momentarily, tempted to run back to the place he had just left, screw the fact that he was now a wanted criminal. One of his precious people had been harmed, and he wasn't willing to stand for that. Unfortunately, logic intervened and let him know that throwing his own freedom away would not help anyone, and his best chance of helping people was to get stronger and return.

Naruto continued on his path, towards the border between sand and fire country. The scroll which Kakashi had given him was actually a really large sealing scroll, holding numerous other scrolls within it. Naruto estimated approximately ten, if not fifteen. The first scroll had been labeled "orders." Tsunade had left him a couple of missions to complete before he struck out on his own, along with some notes that ordered any Konoha operatives to give Naruto whatever aid they could... at least until they received word of his missing nin status.

His first mission was to go and warn the Kazekage about the current events in Konoha, and to be ready to receive ninja refugees. He was also to warn Gaara of the recent movements of Akatsuki, who were preparing to move within the next two years. Naruto also found within it a healthy advance for all of the missions that he had been assigned. Always a positive.

Naruto had already skimmed over his father's work on sealing. To tell the truth, it was incredibly advanced. Naruto had had to go back to the basic scroll which Kakashi had included in it and start at the beginning. He was hoping to buy some supplies, ink and paper, at the next village so he could start practicing. The amount of things that could be done with seals was phenomenal, and Naruto couldn't wait to start trying them out. Especially a certain camouflage seal which he had come across in his father's work. Of course, he didn't think he would be able to get that far for a very long time. Then again, that's why he had all the time in the world wasn't it?

Naruto continued to ponder as he moved, especially on the beginnings of the scroll from Kakashi. Kakashi's first note had been specifically related to his Kage Bunshin skill:

_Naruto, I've recently come across some information about your Kage Bunshins that you will find quite useful. You see, when you create a Kage Bunshin, it's a perfect, although less powerful, copy of yourself. It has the capacity to learn and adapt just as you can. I've discovered that when a Kage Bunshin is _dispelled, _not destroyed, it transfers that experience to the user. When a Kage Bunshin is destroyed, the chakra used in it's creation is dispersed, along with any knowledge that it might have gained. However, when you dispel it, your body will reabsorb some of the chakra, and thus, some of the knowledge which it has gained. You may find this useful in your training, as you will be able to learn jutsu invariably quicker, and be able to memorize at a greater pace. However, I suggest that you do most of your reading by yourself, as your clones will have differing opinions on what they read, creating a rather disjointed collection of information that may hinder more than help in your education. Remember, this method is not a substitute for training, only a aid to it, you will still need to train your own muscles to become more powerful, and you will also need to develop muscle memory on your own, as Kage Bunshins have no true muscles._

I'd also like to note that your Aspects may prove invaluable in this training method. When you and Prime trained together you both learned twice as fast. You won't lose any of the experience during dispersion by using Prime, as he is always linked to your mind, and will be able to draw two points of view on what you are doing, thus gaining twice as much experience twice as quickly. So whenever possible, train with Prime. Also, after examining your true clones, and their ability to generate their own chakra, I have come to believe that they will grow stronger not only as your mind grows stronger, but as you bring them out an train them. This is only possible because of the fact that your true clone's minds don't get dispersed, just their bodies. So get them training. Your Aspects each have unique abilities which they can hone when you bring them out, and they each have their own chakra natures, which I have listed below.

Rage: Fire, Wind (unkown)  
Will: Water, Wind (Possibly ice)  
Courage: Earth, Wind (Possibly sand)  
Prime: Wind, Unknown  
Insanity: Unkown, Wind

These unknowns are not just the fact that I don't know the element, but the fact that the element they use is unknown in the shinobi nations. You may want to discuss this with Kyuubi as the Bijuu may have more knowledge of advanced elements such as Hyouton and Makuton. Each of your aspects has wind as one of their elemental natures, considering the fact that it is your natural affinity.

Naruto paused in his contemplations and noticed the sun going down. He hopped down from the tree and found a hollow log to rest in. He set up a variety of traps around the area and tied a string to his finger, then to several nearby bushes and branches. He then settled down, hidden beneath the rotting stump and closed his eyes for a quick nap.

_'four hours, then it's back to running.' _Naruto thought, letting his eyes slip shut.

XXXXXX

Naruto felt sunshine on his face and he opened his eyes. He was sitting in a large manor by a huge lake. Naruto almost panicked, before he realized that he was in his mindscape. To be more precise, he was in Prime's room in his mindscape. He looked around, noticing the large collection of scrolls which prime had tossed aside in favor of others. A few even made their way to the fireplace where they were cooking lazily.

"Erm... Prime, why are you destroying my memories?" Naruto asked, trying to pull the scrolls out of the flames.

Prime grabbed his hand, "I'm making space, it's getting crowded in here. Don't worry, it's nothing you need. Mostly academy taijutsu and stuff like that."

Naruto's mouth hung down, "You realize that's the only type of Taijutsu I know right?" Naruto asked.

"Not anymore it isn't... Naruto, I'd like to introduce you to your newfound Uchiha based sword skills!" Prime declared, holding out a familiar looking rose.

Naruto's eyes bugged out, "You pulled that out of Kyojitsu! Why hasn't reality taken it back?!?" Naruto yelled.

Prime laughed, "Calm down Naruto, I didn't pull it out, I just went in and copied it... or more like, I copied the memories. You should be able to wield a sword with some skill now, even more when I'm done training you. C'mon!"

Prime took Naruto outside and began teaching him some basic kenjutsu. Naruto found it quite easy, considering the fact that the knowledge was in his mind, he just hadn't accessed it consciously. It took about an hour, but Naruto was finally able to wield a blade without cutting himself open (a sad story indeed, which occurred many times). When they were done, Naruto looked down at the sword/rose which he held.

"Where am I going to get a sword?" Naruto asked.

Prime shrugged, "I dunno, I can always bring one with me from your mind, but you're going to have to buy one"

Naruto rummaged through his jumpsuit, then produced two trench blades, "What about these?"

Prime took the weapons and mused over them, "Hmmmm, I'll see what I can do. Why don't you read that scroll that Asuma gave you, it should have some info on how to fight properly with these. Plus, your wind affinity will make your weapons even more powerful."

Naruto nodded, then asked his next question, "Prime, I felt the Makai seal burn, and I know Anko's been hurt, is there a way I can check on her from here?"

Prime looked thoughtful for a moment, then replied, "Hmm, I think that Jinchuuriki ability has some other side effects. I think it may have formed a link between you and Anko, kinda like your Kyojitsu formed a link between you and Itachi when you took his Mangekyou. I suppose there's someplace in here that could let you see her, or heck, even contact her." _  
_Naruto nodded and closed his eyes. He drew his willpower in close, then let it sweep out over his mindscape. What appeared to be a breeze swept through the valley of Naruto's mind, pushing aside the tall grass and leaving ripples through the lake. The wind returned to the castle, rebounded twice more, then stopped. Naruto opened his eyes and nodded.

"I felt her... or something like her, I'm going to check it out." Naruto said.

"Alright, I'll come with you." Prime said.

Naruto held out his hand, Prime grabbed it and the mansion warped around them, fading into the overgrown entrance to an old sewer pipe. Naruto looked down it.

"Hello! hello.. hello" Naruto's voice echoed.

Prime pushed Naruto aside, looking down into the pipe. He noticed a small light at the end of it.

"Hey Naruto, I think there's something down there." Prime said, gesturing downwards.

Naruto once again looked down the hole, noticing the light. He focused his will once again, forcing the space between this hole and the light to align themselves. An instant later, pale light shone through the sewer entrance, revealing a small room with a figure hunched against a wall.

"Anko-chan?" Naruto asked.

The figure's head flew up. Her eyes, normally a piercing quality, now looked glassy and unaware. She shook her head and focused on the boy in the wall. She tried to rise, but a pair of manacles and a neck chain held her to the ground. She struggled briefly, then gave up and slumped back to the ground.

"It's you..." She said, "I knew there was someone there, but of all the people... it was you."

Naruto grimaced at her condition, then gave her a smile, "Don't worry Anko-chan, your nightmare will end when you wake up!"

Anko snorted, "This isn't a nightmare Naruto... they've chained me in my own mind. It's the seal they planned to use on you, but they got me instead. Kakashi, Kurenai and Asuma too."

Naruto's eyes widened, his mouth falling open, "No..." he gasped.

Anko nodded, trying once more to pull at the chains. A small seal on the chains burned to life and she cried out, reeling in pain from whatever the seal was doing. Naruto snarled, he had seen enough.

**_Kaigan!_**

Naruto's Kaigan flared to life, followed shortly by Prime's. Naruto's Kaigan emitted a burst of light , penetrating the gloom that was in Anko's mind.

Tsuraneru Shingan

Naruto felt the world shift and he was suddenly looking through Anko's eyes at himself. He forced mental energy into his Kaigan, and it responded, bursting to life in Anko's eyes through the link he had formed. Prime held out his hand, then snapped his hand shut. Anko felt a slight pressure, then the chains around her shattered to pieces. She instantly leaped to her feet, and would have hugged the boy if he weren't sitting inside of a wall. Tears leaped into her eyes, but she brushed them away, allowing her strong character to reassert itself.

"Thanks kid!" She yelled, wiping away the tears as if she had just been brushing her hair aside, "Now I can get my hands on that ba-"

Naruto shook his head, "No. Anko, the seal they placed on you is still there, I've removed the part which controls your mind, any physical hold they have over you is still in effect. You need to act as if you are obeying their orders, otherwise they'll discover that you've escaped their power. What they'll do then..."

"No way in he& am I going to continue doing these guys dirty work!"

"Anko! I need you to stay free. Look, you can defy them in ways they'll never know, just don't let them figure out that you're free of the seal's power... yet. Wait for my return Anko, or my call. I swear that you will not have to wait long. Promise me."

Anko averted her eyes, "I won't promise anything... but I'll give it a shot. But, if I have to do anything I don't feel is right, I won't."

Naruto nodded, "I wouldn't expect any less."

Naruto would have said more, unfortunately, Anko's eyes widened and she faded from her mindscape, returning to the waking world. Naruto sighed, releasing the Kaigan. It leaped from his eyes and onto the winds of his mindscape, drifting through the familiar currents and rising up towards the sun. Naruto watched the multicolored hue as it rose on the wind, then disappeared behind the globe of light which he had created.

"So... do you really think she'll stay put." Prime asked, releasing his Kaigan.

Naruto sighed, "No... looks like we're going back sooner than I thought. After we get this information to the Kazekage, we're turning around to retrieve her."

Prime nodded in understanding, "Well, look at the bright side, at least now you'll be able to experiment with a way to counter this new seal."

"Well, first things first, I still need to actually worry about learning how to create seals."

"Small detail my friend, small detail."

* * *

Prime's notes

Tsuraneru Shingan (Linking the mind's eye): This jutsu creates a link between two people which allows the user to see through into the mindscape of the target. A curious adaptation of the Yamanaka ability to actually take control of the body. This jutsu allows only for sight. However, information, and the fact that the Kaigan is a Dojoutsu... Needless to say, the power of this jutsu is considerably augmented when used by either a Kaigan wielder or a Sharingan wielder. (C rank)

Sooo, yeah, if you have any questions, I'll see what I can do to answer them. I haven't put up anything about the new seal for a reason, so don't bother asking... ;)


	12. It's all a Matter of H2O

Alright! New chapter again. I actually wrote this chapter in about an hour, but my muse was riding me like horse... ouch.

Standar disclaimer here.

* * *

Naruto: Keeper of the Seal  
Chapter 11  
It's all a Matter of H2O 

All Naruto could do was stare. He had never been to Kaze no Kuni, and he was clearly unprepared for the sight that met his eyes. The forest which he had been traveling through instantly dropped off, into a perpetual sea of sand which rolled in the wind.

"Oh Kami... how am I going to get across that?" Naruto asked.

Naruto took a quick inventory of his water supply, and decided it would be best to backtrack and find a stream so that he could refill his canteen. Even then, he wasn't sure that he would be able to carry enough to get him to the first source of water. Tsunade had included a map of the elemental countries in her message, marked with all the known villages and strategic points which he would need if he were to survive on his own in the ninja world. Of course, no map would help you if you died of dehydration in the desert.

"As enjoyable as it is to watch you run around in circles in your mind gaki, I would like to offer a little advice." Kyuubi interjected into his thoughts.

Naruto jumped slightly, then replied, 'What would that be Kyuubi-san?"

"A little better than fur ball... Anyway, I suggest you look over that sealing scroll, it should have simple containment seal in it. You should be able to store a large amount of water in your canteen if you can inscribe that seal on it. Of course, you'll need something to inscribe that metal with."

Naruto nodded, 'Thanks Kyuubi!'

Kyuubi sighed inwardly, still a knucklehead.

Naruto whipped out the scroll and unsealed his father's scroll, revealing a massive scroll, probably larger than the scroll of forbidden jutsu which he had stolen back when he had first become a genin. His eyes bulged for a second, then he quickly opened it, only to be stumped by the 'simple' introduction to sealing. Naruto thought he was a complete idiot, until he realized that it was all written in some form of code... or a different language entirely. In other words... he couldn't understand what the heck it was saying.

Kaigan

The brilliant light of the Kaigan spilled across the pages. The words warped and distorted, then Naruto finally began to comprehend the language. He was surprised to find a note from Kakashi was actually the introduction.

Hey Naruto:) (yes, there was a smiley.) If you're reading this then you'll already know that this scroll is unreadable unless you have your Kaigan active. I took a small sample of the eye which you tore out when you first obtained the Kaigan for research. I believe the sample has become mostly obsolete now that you've continued to evolve, but I was able to create a genetic cipher which was only decipherable by those who wield the Kaigan. It's actually a seal which I placed on the scroll itself, made from ink laced with the fluid from your Kaigan enhanced eyes. The seal made the words I'm writing now flow into the unreadable script that you now see. It also altered the existing script to become indecipherable. I took this extra precaution so that, even if the scroll was stolen from you, our most secret sealing techniques would not become free knowledge to the highest bidder. I really hope this works, seeing as it's the most powerful item I gave you.

-Kakashi.

Naruto smiled. That must have been an incredibly complicated seal. The Yondaime would have been proud of Kakashi's skill with seals if he had been alive to see it.

Introduction to sealing:  
Welcome! this is Arashi speaking to you from... a scroll. Yeah. Anyway, if you have this scroll than you are either  
A) My son/daughter  
B) A student of one of my students  
or C) A filthy thief. In which case, I will hunt you down and hurt you badly, in ways you can't even imagine. Ask Ibiki.  
  
Naruto shuddered, remembering the first proctor for the chuunin exams. His nice visit with the man when he had first obtained his bloodline hadn't been overly pleasant.

Anyway, let's begin. Sealing is an art form with two basic steps, Calligraphy and Imbuing. Each one is difficult in their own ways. The calligraphy portion of sealing requires great manual dexterity, and a godlike attention to detail. Each line must be made to an exact length, and sometimes, even an exact thickness. The arrangement and color of the seal must also reflect the purpose of the seal, such as the exploding note seal, which is a basic fire kanji in red ink. A single error could result in a flawed seal, which could one of three things. Firstly, it could fail outright, not good. Second, it could create an entirely different effect. For instance, a strengthening seal could cause you to grow an extra set of arms. Hmmm, maybe I should try that. And thirdly, it could explode. An explosion from a seal that wasn't made for that purpose is quite deadly to the creator. So, don't go for option number three, unless you have a death wish, in which case, go ahead. I'll watch.

The imbuing section of sealing is the most physically taxing. A seal is nothing unless it's creator imbues it with the right type of chakra, but not so much shape. Imbuing is more about strength and type, since the calligraphy is used to guide the flow of chakra. This makes sealing ideal for those who have large reserves, but not so much control. An inadequate amount of chakra causes the seal to fail completely, and your chakra is released in a torrent and wasted completely. likewise, too large of an amount will overload the seal and result in a rather explosive reaction. So do it right the first time, 'cause there's not second chances when it comes to the fine art of sealing. You must imbue the proper type of chakra into a note as well, so for all those non-fire users, don't try to imbue an explosive note with wind chakra, it doesn't work.

My main element is wind, so many of the seals within here are wind based, or normal chakra based. I have also created many theoretical seals of other elements, but only a few are tested. DO NOT USE THESE UNLESS YOU HAVE COMPLETED ADVANCED SEALING. 

Naruto blinked. He was suddenly very doubtful to continue with the scroll. Naruto's previous foolhardy confidence in himself had vanished along with his mask, leaving behind a deeper sense of self-confidence and strength which his former self could never have obtained. He knew that these exercises were beyond his abilities at the moment, and yet, he also knew that there was no chance of him making it through the desert to the first village without more than his travel canteen as a source of water. 

He sat for a moment, before finally deciding that it was better to take action than to sit here and wonder at his own lack of skill. He continued. The first section of the scroll was a set of simple calligraphy exercises to get him used to the different shapes and styles used in common sealing. Naruto pulled a brush and ink well out of his pack and grabbed a spare information copying scroll from his belt. He nullified the copying seal on the scroll and grabbed his brush and ink and began to practice. 

A few minutes into the exercise, he realized that this was futile. There was no way that he would get the several weeks practice needed to create a simple storage seal and get across the desert in any short amount of time. 

Of course, Naruto wasn't the ninja he was for being stupid... er that is to say, overly stupid... A bright light flashed over his head and he grinned his signature foxy grin before forming his hands into a familiar cross shaped seal. 

_**Kage Bunshin**_

A thousand Naruto's appeared around the original, each brandishing ink and scroll and ready to go. 

"Alright, split into groups of ten and practice one of the hundred basic sealing marks. Go!" Naruto yelled out to his clone army. 

"Hai!" they all shouted. 

While the clones began their work, Naruto went back to the scroll, feeling slightly tired. Creating a thousand clones was a beyond Kage level feat, and although naruto did have to chakra reserves of a half tailed bijuu, he had nearly spent the amount needed to make three thousand. Nuff said. 

_Alright, I hope you practiced all those seals, 'cause from now on the kid gloves are off. Now that you know the basic calligraphy of sealing, you're going to learn how to blow crap up._

_Just kidding._

_You're actually going to learn how to imbue a seal with chakra. in comparison with calligraphy, imbuing is probably twice as hard, or twice as easy, depending on your current mastery of an element, your chakra reserves, and to a lesser extent, your control. Below are six seals, copy the one that coincides with your element of chakra, or use the generic seal, and place your hand on it._

Naruto placed his hand on the generic chakra seal, figuring that doing that would make it easier to make a storage seal later. 

_These are basic chakra containment seals. Not much use in combat, but vital in a medical setting. These seals basically hold chakra, and depending on the number of spirals, bars, marks, accents, etc. on them, release chakra at a controlled rate into the body of the person who the seal is placed on. This seal is often used to treat chakra exhaustion if the person has already taken a soldier pill to supplement their chakra and used it (the Inuzuka and Akimichi clans for instance). However, if chakra is released from the body during the time in which the seal is on the recipient's body, it is instantly abosrbed into the seal, and may the cause the seal to go boom._

_Ordinarily a seal is made with a combination of ink and the blood of the sealer, to make the seal easier to channel chakra into, but these are training seals, so they're reaaaallly hard to put chakra into. To train you of course... (I'm not sadistic at all.). So, go ahead and channel some chakra through the tenketsu in your hand directly into the seal. Seals usually have points which you have to place your hand on in order to channel chakra into them, but these will absorb chakra from anywhere, so go ahead. Don't add too much, or you might lose this scroll._

Naruto looked at the scroll, then decided to use his other copying scroll to create copy of the six seals. He wasn't confident about his ability to not blow up the seals. Besides, he was sure he would be able to make the copying seal in a while anyway... 

Naruto place his hand on the generic seal and channeled chakra into it. He instantly felt a strange pulling sensation, much like the time when Shino had 'accidentally' placed a bug on him to get him back for a prank. He tried to hold back as much as he could, letting the chakra flow into the seal slowly. After a few seconds of waiting, he began to feel a little resistance to his chakra building within the seal. He quickly pulled his hand away, only to have a large burst of chakra erupt from the seal and knock him on his back. 

"Aww crap..." Naruto said, glancing at the now mangled seal on the paper, "Gotta apply more chakra... but, I felt it pushing back. Why would it do that if it wasn't full." 

Naruto turned back to the scroll, 

_You've probably ruined one of the perfectly good seals which I made by now... oh well. That strange resistance you felt, that was the seal _becoming_ full, not actually being full. You'll be able to tell when a seal is full when the chakra you place into it actually starts flowing back into you. Then you'll need to pull your hand away slow, allowing the chakra to flow between your hand and the seal between the air, then tie the strands of chakra into the seal. This sounds complicated, but it's kinda like tying a knot. Except simpler. All you have to do is pull your hand away and bring your thumb and fingers together, then pull back. This will allow the chakra flows to connect as you break away from the seal. Now go down further and practice on the additional seals I've written._

Naruto found that there were in fact more seals, but he used the earlier ones, seeing as how the one he had destroyed had been a copy. Hehe, outsmarted the Yondaime. Score! 

_Oh, and if you used a copy of the seals, congratulations, you're not a complete idiot._

"Dangit!" Naruto yelled. 

Naruto repeated the process, but waited until he felt the chakra begin to flow back into him, then he slowly pulled his hand away, bringing his fingers together, then jerking his hand away. He felt the chakra snap away from his fingers, and looked in shock as the seal glowed slightly, then faded back to normal. Naruto touched the seal and felt the smooth flow of chakra run across his fingers. 

"Incredible..." He gaped. 

He went back to the scroll. 

_Simple huh? Well, you're not done yet. If you saw the symbols flash, you now know that the seal is fully imbued, but it still needs to have a trigger placed in it. Back to calligraphy fool! The chakra in the seal is slowly leaking out over time. This is what causes atrophy in many exploding notes, and requires you to buy new ones every month, incorrect sealing._

_Many sealers simply cut the kanji off from any extra paper to which the chakra can leak, essentially trapping the chakra in a smaller place so it fades slower. However, chakra still flows out of the seal into the air and is dissipated. This return of chakra to the environment is a necessary part of any ninja technique, as it revitalizes the world around us, however, for sealing, it is extremely detrimental. You'll need to pay this chakra back somehow, otherwise you'll develop some pretty bad karma, but that will come later. For now, simply draw kanji for seal over the imbued seal. Trust me._

Naruto took his pen and did as the Yondaime had instructed, then went back to the scroll. 

_Okay, now for the hardest part. Sealing requires an effort of will which no other ninja techniques does. You must invest a portion of your mind's strength into holding that chakra into the seal. Essentially, tricking the seal into thinking that it is a part of your body, and must retain the chakra within it to survive. The easiest way to do this is through language._

_Language is the ability that humans have over every other species, it allows us to define and control what is around us. Words are the most powerful thing in the elemental countries. However, it is not just language that is power, but the belief that people put in words. We define something with a word, then we categorize it based on a name that defines that category. Every human being knows that a bird is called a bird, and that a rat is a rat. This belief in the power of words places a potent and almost holy significance to them._

_To seal the power of chakra inside the seal, simply place your hand over it and say the word fuuin. Forget everything you know about chakra. Body and spirit can be conquered by the mind. just as a great tactician will defeat a man who is ten times as strong as he is, so can your mind conquer the rules that govern chakra. Invoke the power of your will into this simple word, believe that the seal must be closed, believe it is a part of you, and it will be so. The body and spirit obey the mind, so why should chakra be any different?_

Naruto stared at the scroll is disbelief, then realization dawned. Sealing isn't a ninja art, it's not simply the channeling and use of chakra, it is a philosophy. All the chakra control exercises he had learned hadn't been about adding more chakra, but about controlling it with his mind, visualizing it, then commanding it to obey his will. Sealing was just the raw form of this, not restrained by the need to obey the rules that chakra has to. The possibilities were endless... this bore looking into. But for now, he had a task to complete. 

Naruto firmed his resolution, then placed his hand over the seal. 

"Fuuin" 

Naruto's Kaigan flared.

* * *

Okay, so if you didn't see that coming, you need to be shot. There's a reason why it's called Keeper of the Seal. It's not just because he holds the Kyuubi, but mostly because he is the keeper of the ultimate sealing bloodline... ;)

Not much for Naruto's notes today, but as always, if you'd like me to put my exapnsive Naruto science mind to work on a problem, go ahead and ask, I'll come up with something that will probably just confuse you even more!

Sealing: Okay, so you're all gonna be up in arms about the fact that no seal actually has the word fuuin on it. This painted on kanji is more a focal point for the users will, and once it is used it will dissipate, much like the seal that Naruto failed to imbue, except on a less explosive, but even more powerful level.

Sealing and blood: Applying a users blood to a seal makes it easy to imbue and seal. The training seals were actually made from Minato's blood, so Naruto had an easier time of putting chakra through it, considering they're related. adding blood to a seal essentially allows something for chakra to latch onto. Chakra can only be connected to a living thing (which is why puppets are made from people and wood), so putting it into paper and ink is essentially just forcing chakra into the surrounding environment. However, when blood is added, the chakra can connect to the organic tissues and can be bonded, if only temporarily, to the ink and paper. That is until the blood completely breaks down and becomes useless as a chakra holding agent.

That's about it, until next time!


	13. Howl, The Southern Wind

Yes! New chapter. trust me, I'm as excited as you are... or are not, depending :p

Disclaimer applies here (I gotta make stickers for this or something.)

* * *

Naruto: Keeper of the Seal  
Chapter 12  
Howl, the Southern Wind

Naruto felt the ever pulsing presence of the Kaigan reach out and flow around the seal, compressing and sealing the chakra within the seal. The Kanji for fuuin glowed with the colors of the Kaigan and flowed out and around the seal, forming a barrier which should keep the chakra within. The shield slowly faded, finally taking on the color of the paper, effectively hiding it from sight.

"Wow, that was intense..."

Naruto could feel a slight twinge in his head, and knew that a part of his mind was now bound to this piece of paper. However, he also knew that the Kaigan had done something to the process. He read on further, one particular passage catching his eye.

_... the number of seals that a master can create is limited by the amount of mental energy that they can devote to the process of keeping the chakra confined to the seal. Those who have weak mental capacities can only create 2-3 or so permanent seals before they lose the ability to hold the chakra within them. So a seal master must not only be a great ninja, but also a scholar. The greatest seal master ever was able to hold the chakra within 25 greater seals and a hundred minor and still maintain his ability to battle normally. My current limit is 10 and 30. To be considered a true seal master, you must be able to hold the chakra within 5 greater seals, and twenty lesser seals._

Naruto thought about this, then about the fact that the Kaigan had done something. He shrugged, promising to look into it later. Now to actually start making some seals!

Naruto quickly dispersed his clones, feeling the rush of knowledge cram itself into his mind. He felt a piercing pain, similar to when the Kyuubi had unlocked his wind chakra, then cool relief swept through him, along with knowledge. And what knowledge it was! Naruto quickly grabbed the blank scroll he had and opened the sealing scroll further. The first seal was the whistling note. It was a basic seal which could be timed, trip wired, or remotely released to create a loud, high pitched whistle which would alert you to any intruders, or deliver a signal. Naruto quickly copied down the seal and imbued it, finishing with a sealing via the Kaigan.

He quickly cut out the note with a kunai and poked a small hole through a corner, then strung some wire through it. He set up a trip wire and intentionally set it off. A loud whistle penetrated the forest, causing a group of birds to take flight, and all the nearby animal life to run in fear. Naruto laughed at his success, then settled down to learn some more seals. If there was one advantage to being able to understand every part of the seals that he was looking at, it was that he actually began to understand the nature of what each shape did in different positions. He wasn't confident that he could invent even a very basic seal, but he felt sure that copying, and even memorizing some simple seals, was not beyond his reach.

Unfortunately for Naruto, the inanimate object seal was quite a bit harder than your basic alarm seal. First, you had to apply an empty design, then create a shape that would define the object to be sealed. Luckily, the shape for water was in the Yondaime's notes, so Naruto was able to create a seal which would effectively hold water. He wasted no time in applying it to his canteen. Now he just needed to place it in water and imbue the seal, allowing it to absorb water until it was full. Naruto made his way to a nearby river and summoned a Kage Bunshin to fill the canteen, then summoned another larger group to work on creating and imbuing several types of seals.

Naruto didn't think there would be anything wrong this, up until the point where the Kage Bunshin he had assigned to fill his canteen popped. Naruto stared in disbelief, then realization dawned, his Kaigan flashing as it mentally bonked him over the head for being an idiot.

Because Kage Bunshin were already an extension of his own will, they could not invest a portion of their will into creating a seal like he could, they could only devote the mental strength that he had endowed them with, thus causing them to explode. This caused a slight problem for Naruto, as he did not gain any information from clones that were forcibly dispersed. It looked like imbuing and sealing of seals would be a one man job. Naruto sighed at the long road ahead of him before he became a seal master, then shrugged, still happy that he had gotten at least a couple month's head start on sealing by having his clones practice the various shapes of sealing.

He opened the scroll further, glancing over the advanced sealing label, then decided to go back. Advanced sealing mostly dealt with the ability to create seals and bind them to people. Naruto was sure he wasn't ready to do that yet. He reached an index of greater and lesser seals. The seal he had just sealed was a lesser seal, and the seals he had his clones working on were also lesser, although, unless he sealed them himself, they would not count towards his ability to seal objects. He created twenty clones per seal that he thought would be useful, then had them all just copy down the seal repeatedly to help him memorize it.

He went back to the river and grabbed his canteen and did the sealing himself, once again feeling the power of the Kaigan flow into the seal. The holding seal for water was also a minor seal, so he wasn't worried about his combat prowess being affected just yet. Nevertheless, when he returned to camp he wiped some blood across the chakra containment seal to break the cycling chakra and release it's effect into the environment. As he wiped blood across the seal, his Kaigan flickered briefly as he felt the slight burden of the seal fade from his mind.

He looked through the scroll for a useful note and found the flash bomb note. Not bad if he did say so himself. He created half a dozen, using the remaining sunlight, and placed them around his camp.

Naruto waited for a few hours, then dispersed his clones one at a time, examining the information coming in and categorizing it before dispelling the next one. This lowered the mental fatigue of Kage Bunshin training slightly. Still, he decided to take a quick nap and wait for darkness before venturing out into the desert. Besides, he needed to talk to prime about the effect that the Kaigan could have on sealing. He closed his eyes and breathed in, then pulled the Kaigan back into his mind. The colors in his eyes slowed, then settled into his normal blue cerulean, leaving the world feeling empty without the interpretations of his unique dojutsu.

He created as many Kage Bunshin's as he could and set them to work on sealing methods, writing, and practice imbuing, and left them orders to disperse themselves in five hours. Then he settled down to rest, not realizing that this was probably the worst thing he could have done.

XXXXXX

Naruto no longer truly slept, but instead, merely moved into his mindscape. He knew when this had happened because he felt the soft sheets of his won royal bed within his palace. He quickly got to his feet and summoned Prime to him. While he waited for Prime he looked out the window towards the Kaigan. The crystals flowed with the cheery light of his old personality. Naruto and Prime had theorized that the Kaigan didn't actually destroy lies, but absorbed them, feeding on them, along with various other sources of mental energy. His mask had been a happy one, which hid a depressed and pained interior, and thus, his Kaigan was a 'happy' thing. He shuddered as he thought of the implications of someone such as Orochimaru or the Akatsuki getting their hands on his Dojutsu. The creature that would be born of that union would be a truly evil beast.

Naruto's musings were interrupted as he felt prime enter the room. He didn't bother to turn away from the window, entranced by the Kaigan as it moved in it's environment. Prime joined him at the window and they stared as the multi-hued light leaped and dove through the crystals which Naruto had made for it's home. As if sensing it was being watched, the Kaigan took a mighty leap into the air, showering the sky with a scintillating display of vivid sparkles as it fell back to the earth, collecting itself, then returning to the crystals.

Naruto felt the pain of his clones dispersing. He was not at all surprised. It had probably taken his mind a while to center itself on his mindscape. Of course, it could always be time flow. Time within one's mind could flow slower or faster, depending on certain factors, and Naruto was fairly sure that speed in his mindscape was about five minutes to the hour.

"Naruto?" Prime asked finally.

Naruto blinked, then turned to Prime, "Sealing."

Prime nodded, "Come with me."

Prime proffered his hand and Naruto took it. The world slid away as Prime transported them through Naruto's mind. Naruto felt his stomach lurch as they flew out the window and spiralled to the ground, only to pass straight through it. Prime began his explanation as they moved.

"The power of the Kaigan allows you to affect your mindscape in various ways. Your realm above is a manifestation of your will upon your concious mind. However, your subconcious and the inaccessible parts of your mind still operate on their own, literally independant of your interference."

"Literally?" Naruto asked, noticing a broken section of sewer as they passed it.

"Given proper conditions, training and motivation, the Kaigan could access these parts of your brain simply by setting up a master synapse directly from your concious mind to that section. When you devoted a portion of your mental energy to sealing that object, the Kaigan responded by setting up a link into an unused portion of your brain, and modified it specifically for the purpose of holding chakra inside those seals."

Naruto scratched his head, and Prime rolled his eyes.

"Look, I'll just show you."

They arrived a moment later, shrouded in darkness, Naruto raised an eyebrow at Prime.

"And this is...?"

Prime swept his hand out. Light danced from his fingers and played across what appeared to be the wall of a cavern. The light 'stuck' to the walls and spread out, revealing the full magnitude of the room.

"Oh... wow." Naruto gaped.

They stood in the middle of a massive cavern, possibly miles long, and at least a mile high. Naruto noticed a few small seals on the walls.

"Those are the seals that you currently have active. This part of your mind is isolated from your conscious. So no matter how many seals you create, you won't be distracted in combat. However, I would urge you to not place too many seals at once. Although this cavern is large, gathering any amount of mental energy into one area is deadly. Should someone ever damage your mind, the Kaigan, or somehow gain control of your body, that stored energy will be unleashed in a massive torrent, destroying a large section of your subconcsious, and possibly killing you. This is a rare occurence, but having less seals will mean less damage will be done if something does happen."

Naruto nodded, "But still, couldn't you create a shunt or something? Release the energy into my mind to defeat the intruder, or even redirect it outside of my body."

Prime nodded, "I've been working on it. I'm glad to say the if someone does get in here and sets this thing off, it'll be the last thing their mind does. I'm still working on a shunt to filter the energy outside of your mind in that event, but having an exit will also create and entry, are you sure you want that?"

Naruto nodded, "just use one of the standard energy outlets, link it in. The Kaigan can protect me from most intruders who try conventional means of getting in-"

Naruto blinked as one of the flash seals on the walls disappeared. Prime's eyes widened, then he turned to Naruto.

**_Yobiokosu!_**

Naruto felt the familiar pull of consciousness. He grabbed Prime and formed a single seal before fading.

**_Deru!_**

They both faded from the cave.

XXXXXX

Naruto's eyes really hurt. He had awoken just as the mental energy of his seal and been stripped and the flash bomb went off. As a consolation prize, his opponents also seemed to have been blinded, considering the fact that they weren't stabbing him with pointy objects. Prime, who had appeared an instant later, leaped into action, attacking the three ninja who had just jumped into the clearing.

**_Rasengan!_**

Prime released Zabuza's sword with his right hand, he pointed the Rasengan at the attackers and focused.

**_Bakuhatsu!_**

The Rasengan distorted strangely, then erupted in a shower of smaller Rasengans, rushing towards the attackers. One of them sensed the danger in time and managed to jump upwards to avoid the attack, the other two were not so lucky.

Miniature drills bored straight into their bodies, damaging tissue and chakra pathways alike. They cried out in pain and dropped back, unwilling to face the power of Prime's ability. Prime took this opportunity and leaped into the air after the third ninja, taking the cleaver in both hands and swinging upwards. A clang and a shower of sparks filled the air as the ninja blocked the attack with a kunai, much like Kakashi had against Zabuza. In fact, far too like it.

Prime's eyes widened as he recognized the cyclopian ninja. He pushed with his sword and sent himself to the ground, landing in a crouch. Zabuza's sword swept up and deflected a trio of kunai as Kakashi propelled himself off of a tree down at Prime. Prime swung Zabuza's sword back, slamming it into the ground and performing a press off the handle, sending a double footed kick into the descending ninja. Prime grunted as his feet impacted with a log covered in explosive notes. He sent a burst of chakra into the log, shooting it away from himself before once again taking cover beneath the sword. The explosion rocked the clearing, staggering Prime and Naruto long enough for the three enemy nin to recover.

Naruto scrubbed his eyes and was finally able to get them open, he didn't bother trying to spot the enemies, as his night vision had been completely ruined by the blast, but allowed his awareness to expand. He could feel the several flash notes still in the clearing, awaiting his call, and decided to save them for later. He could also feel the chakra signatures of three... no, four people. Funny thing was, he was fairly sure that one of them was right behind him.

"Anko, now!" Yelled the voice of Kurenai.

Naruto felt a hand wrap around his throat, and the cold steel of a kunai slide down the side of his face and press against his flesh.

Naruto's eyes widened, "Eheh.. Hi Anko, please don't hurt me."

Naruto felt a light, sticky, faintly familiar touch on his cheek, and realized that Anko was licking him. Naruto shuddered, getting a sense of deja vu from the second part of the chuunin exams. Prime spun around, only to have a kunai lance into his back and send him hurtling back into Naruto's mind in a puff of smoke.

Kakashi, Kurenai and Asuma all stepped into the soft moonlight, surrounding Prime and Naruto. Naruto could see the chains which wrapped around each of their throats, and knew that they had all had a special seal placed on them. He recognized some of the patterns that wrapped around their necks and dove into their temples. It looked like some sort of mind seal, but none of the designs fitted in the way that the Yondaime's scroll had described. These seemed crude... the work of someone who wasn't necessarily worried about the side effects of such a seal upon the mind or body of the subject. Even the caged bird seal which he had seen on Neji seemed to be as invasive as possible, but this... This was something entirely new.

Kakashi shuddered, then looked Naruto in the eye, "I'm so sorry Naruto... but I can't help myself. Anko, bind him."

Naruto nodded at Kakashi as Anko eased up slightly, releasing her hold on the Kunai and reaching around back for a length of wire.

Naruto spoke up as she continued, "I understand Kakashi, which is why I hate to do this to you."

Kakashi's eye widened as Naruto let himself drop out of Anko's distracted grip, grabbing a handful of dirt and tossing it into her face. Anko began rubbing her eyes and Naruto began forming seals. Kakashi revealed his Sharingan, hoping to beat Naruto on the punch to the jutsu, only to have Naruto grin at him.

"Heh, you're mine!" He yelled.

Too late Kakashi realized the seals were a fake. He stared at Naruto, wondering what he could possibly be thinking, then he felt a surge of chakra in the clearing. Everything went white. Kakashi let out a curse as his Sharingan was blinded by the flash of light and chakra. The other two managed to close their eyes, but their eyes were still seared by the tremendous flash of light.

**_Shinko Bunshin_**

**_Deru Ikari_**

Prime and Rage poofed into existence beside Naruto, unaffected by the blast of flash bombs around the clearing. They each took up fighting stances and charged at the jounin. Naruto threw a loop of ninja wire over Anko, hoisted her onto his back, and ran. Asuma had the presence of mind to fire off a wind enhanced kunai after the pair before he was forced to turn his attention to the two clones. Kakashi was pretty much out for the count, his Sharingan having absorbed too much light and chakra, causing him to pass out. If there was one concession that he would make to Naruto, it was the fact that he _was_ the number one most surprising Ninja that Asuma had ever met. To take advantage of the Sharingan's strength and turn it into a weakness...

Asuma's respect for Naruto was cut short as a large cleaver sailed at his head. Asuma deflected the attack with one of his new trench knives, pushing Prime's massive weapon back with his comparatively tiny armament. Asuma grinned and pushed Prime back.

"So... you're Naruto's prime aspect? This should be interesting."

Asuma spit out the cigarette he had been smoking and took a stronger stance, Prime grinned and brought his blade forward.

"I know that this isn't you're fault, but don't think I'll take it easy on you!" Prime yelled, lunging forward.

Asuma grinned and joined the dance.

The two fighters forgot their enmity, their frustration and fear melted away under the cadence of the ringing of their blades. Prime had lied when he said he wouldn't hold back, but not for Asuma's sake, but for the fact that he was merely holding them up, and his chakra made body was highly susceptible to excessive damage.

Prime dove forward, letting the cleaver lead him to Asuma. Asuma danced aside, preparing to ram the trench knife into the back of Prime's neck. Prime turned his lunge into a roll, skipping right past Asuma's weapon and putting him in the clear. Asuma recovered and went for Prime's back, only to have Prime lower Zabuza's sword over his back, deflecting the blow. Prime brought his right foot back, latching onto Asuma's hand with chakra and spinning, lowering Zabuza's sword into a perpendicular position to his body. Asuma's knife hand was thrown to the side as Prime let go and brought the cleaver to bear, Asuma let himself drop under the attack, sending out a sweeping kick for Prime's legs. Prime took advantage of his momentum and raised leg, swinging it down and intercepting Asuma's attack. Zabuza's cleaver continued to move and Prime followed it, using it's weight to carry him out of Asuma's range.

Prime planted the sword in the ground and began flashing through a set of seals.

_'This ought to buy Naruto enough time to get away'_ he thought.

**_Fuuton, Gaifuu no Kami-sama_**

The air around the combatants faded, Asuma leaped to his feat and charged Prime. Prime continued to focus chakra, feeling his chakra reserves fade into nothing, he closed his eyes. Asuma reached Prime, lashing out with his trench knife, but it was already too late. Prime's eyes flicked open, the Kaigan sparkling within.

**_Houkou!_**

Prime's body dissipated as the last of his chakra evaporated into the technique, taking his body with it.

Rage in the meantime had been dealing with Kurenai. As soon as he had been summoned, Rage had hurled himself at the young jounin. Kurenai leaped out of the way and Rage landed crouched on all fours. He snarled in malice at the woman and charged once again. Kurenai brought out a kunai and moved in to attack.

Rage hurled a trio of shuriken just before he reached Kurenai, then let loose with a powerful right claw. Kurenai snatched the three shuriken out of the air and her blade dug deep into Rage's flesh, but Rage merely shook off the pain of his chakra made body and came from below with a left rake. Kurenai's foot intercepted his attack and he snarled at her, lashing out with his head. Kurenai grunted and fell back as the hard bone in Rage's head made contact with her stomach.

Rage, unwilling to let her regain her balance, darted after her, sending a powerful kick at her shin. Kurenai stepped over the blow, and dashed straight up Rage's body, hurling herself into the air. A Rain of kunai fell from the sky, slamming into and around Rage. Rage growled as he felt his chakra body beginning to fail, it was time to step it up.

**_Katon, Hibashira_**

Kurenai's eyes widened as a pillar of flame raced towards her airborne form, she quickly formed seals for the water technique she had taught her student.

**_Suiton, Junsai_**

Kurenai felt her chakra plummet as she was forced to condense the water in the air into a shield. The pillar of fire slammed into the shield, battling with the water for dominance. Kurenai landed on the shield and pushed off, just as Rage's more powerful jutsu penetrated her relatively weak one. She fell through the air forming more hand seals.

Rage was about to unleash another pillar of fire when he suddenly felt something growing up over his leg. He looked down and spotted a tree root wrapped around his leg. He growled and took a swipe at it, only to have it regrow right before his eyes. He took another swipe, and the same thing. In fact, there were even more roots creeping up his leg, and worst of all, there was a tree climbing up behind his back. He growled and begun flailing, sending wood chips everywhere. Pillars of flame leaped from his hands as he attempted to burn the wood to ash, but to no avail.

Kurenai examined her handiwork. Rage was fighting an illusion at the moment. Granted, this illusion was supposed to give her time to get close and assassinate the target. However, watching rage tire himself fighting against an imaginary tree seemed like an okay plan... until he started shooting fire all over the place.

Kurenai leaped to the side, letting loose a group of Kunai who lodged themselves within Rage's ribcage. Rage howled in pain, feeling the genjutsu fade as the pain took hold. He sent a baleful glare at Kurenai before he felt the wind stop. His eyes widened, then took on a malicious glee, he began to form handeals. Kurenai, like Asuma, rushed in, attempting to stop him.

_**Katon, Fukyuu Honoo**_

Rage put all of his chakra and his body into the technique. Kurenai lashed out with the heel of her palm, but Rage was already gone, and in his place stood a blazing inferno. Kurenai's skin blistered as he touched to fire. She hissed in pain and pulled back. She turned to Asuma in time to see him also fail to destroy his opponent, then all hell broke loose.

A soft wind picked up from the south, causing both jounin to look around nervously. Each of their opponents had done techniques that seemed to have had no effect, and that was never a good thing. However, before either of them had time to speculate, a sudden roaring was heard. They glanced to the south, eyes widening.

A huge shockwave formed a few hundred feet from them, hurtling towards their position. Dust and debris slammed into the two jounin as they braced themselves for the impact. Howling winds raged through the area, pinning the two jounin down and slamming Kakashi into a tree nearby. The fire in the middle of the clearing blazed to life, soon becoming an inferno. The flames licked at the three jounin, forcing Asuma to grab Kakashi and retreat with Kurenai in tow. About a minute later they managed to put enough distance between them and the fire to take a rest. The wind had died down considerably and the chakra created fire would soon go out by itself.

"So... they got away?" Asuma asked.

Kurenai nodded, smiling, "Indeed."

"Good... let's get this lazy-nin back to the hospital, he might need to see an optometrist."

"Well, at least he won't be able to read his Icha Icha Paradise anymore."

They couldn't hear it, but Kakashi let out a slight whimper.

XXXXXX

Naruto felt Prime and Rage re-enter his mind, and smirked at their actions. Looks like pursuit would be postponed indefinitely, especially after those techniques. Shinko Bunshin was turning out to be a very powerful technique. A slight tug on his arm reminded him of his most recent companion, this one not able to dwell within his mind.

Naruto dumped a subdued Anko onto the ground, confident that the other three jounin would not follow now.

"Hey Baka, you wanna let me go now?" Anko asked, "This wire is chafing, and I'm really itching to get as far away from Konoha as I can."

"Just a second Anko. I'm not sure how deep the seal goes into your mind, so I'm going to create a counterseal for it." Naruto replied.

Naruto harnessed his newfound knowledge, then activated his Kaigan in preparation for the work ahead.

"Now don't move, I need to do this very carefully. Seals on the mind can be very tricky, and sealing a seal on the mind is twice as hard."

Anko shuddered as the memory of her sealing returned to her, but she managed to hold still.

* * *

Prime's notes 

Rasengan, Bakuhatsu (Spiralling Sphere, Explosion): The long awaited Shotgun Rasengan! The Spiralling Sphere Explosion exploits the power of the many spiral chakra pathways that run through Naruto's body to introduce many small projectiles into Naruto's already formidable Rasengan. This causes the Rasengan to destabilize and unleash a hail of smaller, but no less deadly, Rasengans in a path directly ahead of Naruto's, or one of his clone's, paths. Each small projectile is like a little drill, boring through flesh, damaging muscle, bone, and chakra pathways on it's way into the user. In addition, the dispersal of the Rasengan's energy pollutes the victim's chakra with Naruto's own, making it harder for them to mold chakra. A rank.

Fuuton, Gaifuu no Kami-sama. Houkou (Wind Element, Lord Spirit of the Southern Wind. Howl): This technique has more in common with a summoning than an actual wind element technique. By using the Kyuubi's knowledge of the spirit realm, I was able to send a large amount of chakra into the realm of the elemental lords and send a plea for help to the lord of the southern wind. The lord of the southern wind consumed the chakra used in the technique, and in response, howled to the north. This technique, although powerful, takes time to perform. Also, there is a delay between the actual use of the jutsu and the effects of such. However, the payoff is well worth it, producing a storm that should pin down anyone caught within it's radius. B rank.

Katon, Fukyuu Honoo (Fire Element, Eternal Fire): The user of this technique summons forth a vast reserve of fire chakra and simply expels it into the world. This fire feeds off the chakra of the user, and, if there is enough supplied, it could technically last forever, thus the name. Eternal fire is more of a utility technique than anything, used for creating smokeless fires to cook, or to light the way, but when combined with powerful wind techniques, it creates a firestorm which is almost impossible to counter. C Rank.

Genjutsu's: Genjutu's will not be named until after they are complete, seeing as how the nature of a genjutsu is secrecy, deceit, and illusion... so naming it from the start would be... self defeating. Some Genjutsu will not even be named until the user chooses to discuss it. Genjutsu, unlike ninjutsu, is not about being flashy, and does not require the burst of adrenaline that once can obtain from calling out the name of a technique to activate, but rather a subtle shift in the brain which should not be detected. For instance, if I were to yell out, "I'm sneaking!" It would be fairly pointless. Just as calling out "Tree Illusion of Death" would be very stupid.


	14. Suna

Heyyyy new chapter... yup

Standar disclaimer here

Naruto: Keeper of the Seal  
Chapter 13  
Suna 

"Fuuin" Naruto spoke.

Instead of the violating pain that had accompanied the seal which now she bore, Anko felt a warmth settle over her. Naruto examined his handiwork. A series of reverse spirals extended out of the chain which wrapped itself around Anko's neck and plunged into her temples. These spirals then converged on a point just below her neck, where Naruto had placed a blocking seal.

"Feel any different?" Naruto asked?

Anko nodded, "Yeah, I think I have a cramp in my leg. Twit."

Naruto chuckled, but pulled out a Kunai and cut her bindings, "I don't have the skill to place a counterseal yet, but I've managed to connect the chain with blocking seal. When someone attempts to use the cage seal on you, simply channel chakra into the point just below your neck and it will essentially prevent chakra from entering your system. I've placed and filled four chakra seals around the block, so it should last for about ten minutes against all but the most powerful of chakra, which I doubt any of the council possesses. If you ever use the seal, you'll need to recharge it with your own, or someone else's chakra. I can't do much better than that. I've already shattered the internal workings of the seal with the Kaigan, so influence won't be a problem, but you'll only have ten minutes to kill someone before they can activate any of the other effects."

"Wow, What else can you do Gaki?" She asked, rubbing her sore arms, "You've certainly progressed in the few days that you've been gone."

Naruto shrugged, "Not much else, I don't want to try any more human sealings until I become better. If I screw up one of those... who knows what will happen."

"Hey... wait, did I just serve as your first guinea pig?" Anko asked, eyes narrowing.

"heh... erm, maybe?" Naruto asked, backing away from Anko's evil eyes.

"Die!" She yelled, leaping after him.

Naruto ran for cover. Neither of them noticed the pierced canteen which Naruto was sporting, nor the trail of liquid which followed in his wake. 

XXXXXX

"Miaki-sama! We're under attack again, Please help us!" Shouted a villager.

A woman in a chinese shirt and short skirt looked up from her meal. The villager was obviously exhausted from his run. The village was over three miles away, She preferred solitude, and the villagers respected that. Some even brought her presents, payment for the protection that an ex-shinobi could offer.

"Of course Hiran, give me a moment."

Miaki stood from her table and took up her two steel fans from over the fireplace. She then turned to the villager and fixed himself with her gaze.

"Prepare yourself Hiran."

Hiran, who was well acquainted with her skills, nodded and closed his eyes. He waited for the appropriate amount of time, then felt the wind gust past him, then a gale gathered him up and he soared back to the village. In spite of the attack, Hiran couldn't help but feel elation as he flew through the air on Miaki's chakra. Miaki was eighteen. Too young to retire, but in her opinion, too old to have survived as a ninja. She now lived as a hermit on the outskirts of a nameless Suna village, offering her services as a protector to those who were weaker than she. There were not many around here who were stronger.

Hiran and Miaki settled to the ground and Hiran opened his eyes. Attacks in the land of Suna were unlike any in all of the other elemental countries. Instead of blazing houses, the streets were filled with shadows, giving an edge to the attackers as they ran amok through the village, hoping for a loose valuable, woman, or child even. Children seemed to be a favorite with some of the more twisted minds that could be found wandering the desert, and women... well, there was always a foreign market for women.

Miaki closed her eyes, they would do her no good. The shadows more often betrayed lies than the enemy's actual presence, and lashing out at imaginary horrors was a good way to let your guard down and get a knife in the back. She reached out, feeling the clusters of chakra moving through the village. The wonderful thing about chakra is that it not only gives off a signature, but it allows certain insight into the feelings of the subject. The mixing of body and spirit, or more correctly, body chemistry and emotions, creates a potent force which can be detected on a primal level. Of course, with training, one can be able to sense, or emit these consciously. Such is the nature of killing intent.

Miaki in particular was looking for the mixture that would produce killing intent. Rage, lust, anger, and of course, calculation. She felt the panic of the villagers as they tried to escape, ducking into homes and running for specified shelters. Miaki felt a sudden spike of killing intent directly ahead of her.

Miaki's hand came up, steel fan already whirling. A shower of sparks and the thump of a kunai being embedded in dirt sounded. A faint chuckle whispered across the wind.

"So, they have a shinobi protector... how, intriguing." a voice called out.

Miaki wasn't overly concerned with this opponent, his chakra was about genin level. Probably a missing-nin who thought he was hot stuff because he could kill a few villagers. Miaki didn't waste any time dashing forwards. She launched herself forward with a burst of chakra, steel fans trailing after her.

The enemy brought up two kunai, smirking. Miaki didn't know it, but he had been a close combat expert when he had been a ninja. He had deserted after his third chuunin exam, so his skills were closer to chuunin than genin. Miaki lashed her forward with her right hand, only to have her fan blocked by a kunai. She followed with a swift kick, catching him around the legs. He dropped to the floor, sweeping out with his own legs. Miaki jumped into the air, sweeping her left hand underneath her to block the incoming kunai. The clang of steel resounded through the streets once more. Miaki slammed her feet down into her steel fan, driving it into the bandit's stomach.

Miaki snapped her right fan shut and drove the spike into the the ninja's chest, piercing his right lung. She released it and drove another kunai into his right chest, ripping out her steel fan.

"You might survive if you don't move." She said, dashing off to take care of the next bandit.

There was something disturbing about this attack. It was widely known that this area was protected by an ex-jounin, yet people were still attacking, it was as if they wanted to die... or...

A kunai flew from the darkness, piercing Miaki's senses. She froze, allowing the projectile to land at her feet. She heard no hiss or release of chakra that would indicate an explosive note, no, instead she felt something far worse. She was surrounded. On every rooftop stood a man or woman, preparing to attack her. Their chakra signatures had been hidden until a moment ago, leading her to believe that this was more than just a simple raiding party. In fact, by the looks that she was getting from some of them, she was fairly sure that they had come for her, and the villagers were just a bonus which was needed to attract the attention of a far more valuable prize.

"Tsuri Miaki... Retired nin from Sunagakure, there's quite a price on your head. Very impressive for one your age."

Miaki snorted, "I don't think you would have come here with this many men for the bounty of a single kunoichi, even me."

"This is true, but it appears as if someone is very interested in taking you alive... So interested that it would be worth our while to capture you and split the reward ten ways."

Miaki shuddered, "Not him..."

The stranger laughed heartily, "Oh yes, it appears as if your past, and your 'abilities' are catching up with you, wind mistress."

Miaki's eyebrows creased. She opened her eyes, willing to risk a few hallucinations to be able to see in this fight. The stranger had not been lying, ten other shinobi surrounded her, blocking her into the square which she had landed in. And worse, she could feel that at least three of them were jounin level in chakra, if not skill.

Miaki's fans snapped open as a rain of kunai fell towards her from all directions. Miaki piroutted on one foot, channeling wind chakra into her fans and igniting the seals that dotted the steel. A small hurricane erupted around her, hurling the barrage of kunai back at her attackers, or into random buildings. The raiders jumped to avoid the attack and landed in the square, ready to face Miaki at close range. Miaki didn't give them the chance to close in.

TsuinKamaitachi no Jutsu

Miaki finished her spin, releasing a wave of cutting winds from each fan. lacerations opened on the arms, legs, and torso's of many of the approaching nin. A few managed to stick to the ground with chakra, but most were thrown back into the surrounding buildings. Miaki snapped her fans shut, shoving them into her belt, she threw herself at the first enemy, diving into a roll and coming up with a group of shuriken already flying at the attacker. This must have been one of the jounin, because he caught the missiles and hurled them back, only to have his eyes widen in surprise as Miaki slid under the attack, coming up in a hand press the bash his chin with the heel of her boot. The jounin went flying.

Miaki whipped open a fan and sent a Kmaitachi after him, then dove tot he left to avoid another attack. A pair of shuriken appeared in Miaki's left hand, then blazed after her attacker. The chuunin, clearly off balance, was caught in both kidneys by the attack and sent to the ground. Miaki would have congratulated herself had she not just then been hit by a flying senbon needle. The needle buried itself in her leg, instantly paralyzing the limb. Miaki grimaced at her leg, yanking the senbon out before hurling it back at the offending jounin.

Miaki's other fan swished open, sending a wave of cutting wind after the senbon. The jounin powered up his own justu and summoned a wall of earth to block her attack. Miaki cursed, earth was the worst sort of element for a wind user to face. Miaki flourished her fans behind her, deflecting a dozen incoming kunai. She whirled around, letting loose another wave of wind. The attackers fell back for a moment before realizing she was not following them, this realization was followed by another one, that she couldn't move her right leg. At least, not reliably anyway.

The raiders jeered and swooped in for the kill. Miaki focused her chakra, creating a simple hand seal which all academy students knew.

Bunshin no jutsu

A dozen Identical Miaki's appeared around her, all in a ready stance. The raiders laughed at her attempt to distract them and charged blindly through the illusions at the one they knew was real. Unfortunately for them, this was not any bunshin technique.

Kaze Bunshin no jutsu!

Miaki smirked.

The first four raiders who charged through the bunshins were immediately cut to pieces, their following comrades also sustained considerably damage, and halted the wave by collapsing over their dead allies. Miaki didn't waste the precious seconds she had collected on gloating. She focused a burst of chakra to her legs, then, favoring her right, launched herself into the air, propelled by a current of wind chakra. The uneven take off set her slightly parallel to the ground, just as she had anticipated. Another burst of wind chakra set her spinning, and the greater part of her remaining chakra was burnt firing off another jutsu.

TsuinKamaitachi no Jutsu!

The dual whirlwinds cut through the survivors, culling their numbers to three wounded, six incapacitated or dead, and one unwounded. Unfortunately for her, each of the jounin was still standing, and worst of all, the senbon throwing one was the uninjured one.

Miaki landed and immediately fell to the ground with little grace. With only a third of her chakra reserves remaining, she couldn't afford to waste chakra with small things like softening a landing. She was lucky to have her fans with her, without their ability to stir up wind, she would have already used her chakra up, and a little more. Of course, she wasn't in much of a better situation right now.

The four remaining nin were now taking her seriously, and they were all high enough level to beat her in a battle of attrition, which seemed like what they were willing to do. But wind users didn't gain the reputation for offensive tactics for no reason.

Miaki sent a pulse of her chakra into her limp leg, sending a jolt of pain through it, but restoring a little feeling. She rolled to the left as an ax kick slammed into the ground where she had laid a second ago. Performing another hand press, Miaki landed awkwardly on her feet, favoring her right leg, only to fall into a backwards roll and six senbon flew at her. She came up just as the missiles flew over her new position. Miaki snapped her fans shut, blocking a katana with a cross. She swayed left as a kicked lashed out, then launched herself forward, pushing her attacker's sword up and slamming her forehead into his face.

A sickening crunch followed the raider as he reeled back, blood pouring from his face. Miaki pressed her advantage, slamming her left fan home into his gut, then spun away an her left foot, barely avoiding another hail of senbon.

Three.

Miaki snapped her fans open and sent a gust of wind at the senbon thrower. The raider jumped away, only to realize a second later that she hadn't put any chakra into the attack, and now her was vulnerable in the air. Miaki snapped one of her fans shut and slammed it into her belt, then flew through a series of one handed seals. She ended her seals and swept her fan forward.

Ichiman Ken

The raider screamed as hundreds of perforations appeared along his skin, sending a spray of blood into the air. He fell to the ground, dead.

Miaki turned to the last two raiders, who were backing away slowly.

"Leave and I'll let you live." She said simply.

They looked as if they hadn't even noticed her. One fell on his knees and began praying, while the other turned tail and fled. Miaki stared at them confused, then she felt a presence behind her.

A pair of kunai whizzed past her ear and impaled the two shinobi, killing them instantly. Miaki heard a swoosh of a sword and dove forward. She came up in a spin and turned to face this new threat, then felt her arms go numb at the sight of her attacker. Hiran was smirking at her, a sword held in his hands.

"Hiran..." She whispered, then spotted the flash of yellow in the man's eyes, "No... Hiran is dead, isn't he?"

"Kukuku, clever girl. You always were quick." Orochimaru laughed.

Miaki felt the familiar pulse in her body. On her last mission as a kunoichi, Miaki had been captured by a group of Oto nin and brought to Orochimaru because of her abilities. Orochimaru had worked to unlock the secret of how she was able to manipulate wind so easily, but had only been able to create a type of organ from cell cultures that allowed the user to control wind pressure and sound waves via the use of tubes in their hands.

Of course, that was not to say that Orochimaru hadn't done a little messing around inside of her. When he couldn't figure out how to control her ability, he had simply locked it down, preventing even her from accessing it. Orochimaru had considered the power too deadly to leave alive, and since Miaki was the last heir to it, it's power would die with her. The block had stunted her chakra circulation and essentially killed her. Hours later she found herself in a mass grave, digging herself free and escaping back to Suna. Her chakra reserves were severely damaged, and even with significant physical/spiritual therapy, she had never been able to get one tenth of her original chakra capacity back.

Miaki had never understood how she had survived, but she was fairly sure it had something to do with that operation, and knew that Orochimaru would want to study her further if given the chance. It looked like he had finally caught up to her.

"I'm surprised you found me so quickly," Miaki said, pushing down her fear, "I would've expected at least another year, maybe more."

Orochimaru laughed, "I didn't expect to find you here Miaki-chan, I was merely passing through and thought I would see what these raiders were up to. I never would have expected they had somehow tracked you down, but I guess that good fortune is mine. Oh, and by the way, this Hiran fellow screamed your name all the way to his grave, quite pitiful really. 'Miaki-sama! Miaki-sama!' Tell me, did you care for him?"

Miaki growled and shoved her fan at Orochimaru, all fear gone, Orochimaru let loose a cackle and snapped her wrist in mid strike. Miaki cried out in pain, but shoved her other hand forward, determined to cause at least a little harm to the smug bastard. Orochimaru grabbed her incoming fist and threw her at a nearby building. Miaki channeled a little wind chakra around her and righted herself just in time to springboard off the wall back towards the snake Sannin.

A blade of wind formed around Miaki's remaining steel fan and she swiped at him, intent on causing pain. Orochimaru simply moved his head slightly to the side and allowed her to pass right by him, almost. Orochimaru grabbed Miaki's ankle as she flew past, arresting her momentum and causing a pop in her ankle, dislocating the joint. Miaki screamed as Orochimaru twisted her foot as he began to spin her. She flew through the air for about a split second, then smashed into something hard. A second later she felt her vision tunneling, then all faded to black. 

XXXXXX

Naruto and Anko were in very bad shape. An hour of running had left both of them extremely thirsty, bordering on dehydration in the dry climate of the desert. To make matters worse, when Naruto had reached for his specially made canteen, he found that Asuma's kunai had pierced the bottle and now he was completely out of water. Anko did have a water bottle which would last them for a couple more hours of night travel, but if they didn't find some cover by day, they were cooked.

"What kind of baka doesn't notice a stream of water running down his leg?" Anko asked, trying to moisten her lips.

"The same kind who doesn't notice a trail of water following the genin she's trying to kill." Naruto replied wearily, slumping to the ground, "When's the next ration?"

Anko ground her teeth, this kid was annoying, "Another half hour, now get up and get moving."

Anko accented her words by grabbing his collar and hauling him up, "We only have a few more hours of night, we need to get to shelter before then, or we're done."

Naruto regained his composure and nodded, all indications of the whining child gone from his countenance. Anko would swear in court that the kid was bipolar... if they lived to see a court for that matter.

"Ne... Anko, I think I have an idea." Naruto said, catching her arm and hauling her back, "Have a seat."

Before Anko had time to protest, she was sprawled out on the ground, staring dumbly at Naruto as he formed a cross shaped seal.

Kage Bunshin Nojutsu

A hundred copies of Naruto appeared in the area, Anko stared in amazement at the kid. To summon a couple dozen kage bunshin was a feat for any jounin, but this kid had just summoned a hundred without blinking. Amazing.

Naruto ignored Anko's amazement and ordered his clones to fan out into the desert in search of shelter, then he settled down and waited, pulling out his scroll on sealing and reading through it. Anko laid back and covered herself with her trench coat to keep warm while Naruto's scouts searched the area for a place to hole up for the daytime.

About an hour later, Naruto had constructed an explosive note and was trying to find a way to seal fire chakra within it. He knew no fire techniques and his own chakra element was wind, not very helpful when it came to things involving explosions. Light and shadow were easy enough to make with chakra, light was made by expelling chakra out of the pores of the note on which the seal was placed, while shadow was enabled by designing the seal to absorb light within a certain radius. However, fire required the area to be saturated in chakra, then ignited with a burst of fire, which Naruto did not possess. He was fairly sure he could create an area saturated in chakra, but doing anything with that area was beyond anything he knew. None of his Kaigan's abilities would be able... to...

Naruto blinked for a second, then grinned in eagerness. Even if he did not have to element of fire in his body he did have it within his mind. His aspect of rage used fire with extreme prejudice when called upon, and Kyuubi had been able to control fire and earth with his body, hinting that his other aspects could lend him their elements for a short while

Before he had time to ponder further on these implications, he felt the telltale stream of knowledge from a Kage Bunshin flow into his mind. A cave about two miles away seemed to be in good condition, and to make it even better, it had a small rivulet of water running deep within it. If Naruto could pull off another sealing flask, he would be able to get enough water to make it to Suna and back without a problem.

"Got it, let's move." Naruto said, standing up.

They turned about 220 degrees from the direction they had been heading and traveled for a short distance before they encountered the cave. It was more like a narrow crack in the soil that widened out further on into a cavern. Naruto could hear a slight dripping and noticed a rivulet of water working it's way across the cavern floor.

"You know, now that I think about it, this is way too convenient to be safe." Naruto said, "Looks like this might be a hideout for some less savory characters."

Anko raised an eyebrow at him, "Why would you say that."

"I can smell snake." Naruto said.

Anko instantly fell into a guarded stance. There was only one person in all of the elemental countries who smelled of snake, and when any type of scent tracker told you they smelled it, you had best be wary. Her hand strayed to the sword which was strapped horizontally across her lower back.

"What is he doing here?" Anko asked, surveying the shadows.

Naruto shook his head, indicating he didn't know, but he also fell into a combat stance, drawing a kunai. Naruto held the kunai like a sword, a strangely awkward stance, considering that a kunai was far shorter than a sword.

They stood ready for several minutes, until the pumping of adrenaline faded from their bodies. Naruto looked around and lowered his guard slightly.

"Looks like he isn't here." Naruto said, still gripping his kunai.

Anko nodded and lowered her guard, letting go of the sword, still surveying the shadows.

"How long ago?" Anko asked.

Naruto sniffed, putting his newly acquired bijuu senses to the test, "It's faint... I'd say about two or three days since he's been here. There's also a reek of sake, sweating men... and blood."

Naruto and Anko noticed a refuse pile in the corner of the cavern. A large barrel of salt and sand stood next to it, used to prevent rot from occurring. They spotted broken weapons, old food, and a few bodies, mostly women and children. Naruto turned away, retching up what little he had in his stomach. Anko merely turned away and patted him on the back until he was done.

"Let's get what we need and get out of here, I don't feel like taking shelter here." Naruto said.

Anko was about to protest, then she felt Naruto's inhuman gaze settle on her. She quickly agreed.

Naruto moved to the opposite end of the cavern and took up a kunai and Anko's canteen. Within a half hour he had scribed the necessary seals upon the flask and began imbuing it while holding it under the trickle of water in the back of the cave. The filling took about an hour because of the lack of water volume from the trickle that traveled down from a crack in the wall, he didn't trust the barrels of water or the small pool that gathered in the middle of the floor, especially not with that snake around.

Naruto was capping the canteen and storing it in a safer place than the side of his leg when Anko tensed up slightly and snarled. Naruto glanced over at her, expected her to have stubbed her toe or something like that. Matters were slightly different. Anko had sensed an incoming group of chakra signatures, a few of them tainted by the seal which adorned her neck. There was only one person she knew who could bestow that seal, Orochimaru.

"Naruto, I think I need to kill something." She began.

Naruto blinked, then he smelled snake again, stronger this time. Naruto growled and nodded, "Me too."

Naruto reeled at his own bloodthirst, then did a double take. He had already killed a man with his newly created Rasengan release, why didn't he feel remorse? Before he could contemplate this further, he saw the first enemy enter the cavern. Naruto and Anko melted into the shadows, suppressing their chakra signatures, or in Naruto's case, ceased from giving off the excess chakra he usually did. Naruto felt his awareness fade as he drew his chakra sonar within himself. The darkness descended, and he was forced to rely on his enhanced eyesight to relay the surroundings to him.

The man was followed by a dozen others, each bearing a chakra signature of laughable strength, or laughable to Naruto anyway. However, two of them bore the curse seal, and Naruto knew that their miniscule chakra supplies would be exponentially increased when they activated their 'gifts.' Naruto watched as they carried in a few prisoners and some loot. One woman was giving off a faint chakra signature of one who had been in a fight recently. Naruto guessed she had taken down the strongest of the raiders, and was only taken down by the wielders of the cursed seal.

Naruto felt his own seal twinge slightly in the presence of the other two, and those two looked around and rubbed their necks, shrugged, then settled down. Naruto clamped a hand down on the Makai seal and strengthened the containment seal his body had placed around it.

"Chun, take the Kunoichi to the back, Orochimaru wants her undamaged, we can... take care of the others." said one, grinning.

One man laughed and grabbed the kunoichi by the hair, unceremoniously dragging her to the back of the cavern, dangerously close to Naruto. The man who approached Naruto was one of the sealed, and as he got closer, Naruto's seal began to tingle, then burn. The man also felt this discomfort, and tried to shrug his shoulders.

"Orochimaru-sama must be near." He told the others, "Do you think he's done finishing off the village?"

"Probably, but he told us he was going to search the girl's home before burning it to the ground." The leader said.

He nodded and rubbed his neck, muttering. He passed within an arm's reach of Naruto, then walked a bit further, depositing the woman next to the wall with a thump and headed back. Naruto made up his mind, he slipped on the trench knives and waited. As the man passed him, Naruto snarled and lashed out. An arc of blood erupted from the man's throat and he went down gurgling, grasping at his ruined neck. Naruto reached forward, snapped the man's neck, faded back into the shadows.

Anko, who had acted at the same time Naruto did, unleashed a storm of kunai at the men in the center of the room. Two went down under the barrage and the rest either jumped out of the way or deflected the strikes. Naruto felt the familiar chakra of the curse seal erupt from the middle of the cavern. Naruto watched as the man yanked a kunai out of his shoulder and hurled it back into the darkness.

"Niro, light!" He called out.

One of the ninja focused his chakra into a hand seal and unleased a burst of chakra. Lights all around the cavern burst to life, revealing Naruto and Anko's hiding spots. So much for stealth. Naruto flushed the area with his chakra, his sixth sense returning in a rush of stimuli.

Kaigan

Kenshou

Naruto's Kaigan burst to life, sending scintillating colors skittering across the cavern walls. The men caught within the radius of the Kenshou went slack jawed, amazed at the power of the universe flowing around them. Naruto charged at the first one, releasing Kenshou. The man shook his head and looked around, only to receive a slash to the neck and stomach. Naruto kicked him to the ground and rolled sideways to avoid another blow. Naruto came up with a Rasengan in his hand.

Rasengan, Bakuhatsu!

Dozens of tiny bolts of chakra erupted from his hand, driving back two of the raiders. Naruto whirled around and caught a sword of his crossed trench knives. His opponent lashed out with a kick and sent Naruto skidding back. Naruto formed his hands into a cross seal, leaping into the air.

Kage Bunshin

Dozens of Naruto's appeared beside him in the air, they each formed a Rasengan. Naruto continued upwards, latching onto the ceiling.

Rasengan Naruto!

The Naruto's dove to the ground, smashing craters in the earth and generally causing distress and chaos. Fragments of the stone floor fell as a hail of deadly shrapnel, causing most of the bunshins to burst into clouds of smoke.

Doton, Doryuheki

A wall of earth erupted in front of the cursed man, hiding him and three others from the deadly rain, the raiders caught on the outside were hurled to the floor and walls by the sheer ferocity of the assault. Naruto curled and brought his legs to the ceiling, then hurled himself downwards, straight at the wall.

Rasengan

The sphere of chakra, backed up by Naruto's impressive velocity, shattered the already buckling wall, allowing Naruto to assault the raiders behind it. He needn't have bothered.

Anko stood on the other side of the wall, licking her lips absently, the remaining raiders dead. At least, three of them. The cursed raider was nowhere to be seen.

"Anko, where's the-" Naruto began.

Naruto felt a surge of chakra and a trio of kunai erupted from his stomach. He fell to his knees, eyes widening as another kunai erupted from his chest. Naruto coughed up blood and vaguely heard a gathering of roaring flames.

Katon, Karyuu Endan!

Time slowed to a crawl and Naruto felt the blistering heat approaching him. He vaguely remembered that his body was between the deadly technique, Anko, and that other prisoner, not to mention the ones currently laying in a pile. Naruto raised his eyes from the cavern floor, imploring for forgiveness from those who were about to be roasted. Naruto hated himself at this time, for being too weak to protect these people from a mere thug.

Naruto noticed something strange. That girl was no longer laying against the wall. Instead, she was standing right by him, flowing through a set of hand seals. Naruto blinked, then felt time return to normal.

Futon, Daitoppa

Raging flames burned past either side of Naruto, Anko, and the prisoners. The girl fell to her knees.

"I was gonna save that for later, but now seemed like a good time as any." She said to Naruto, breathing heavily.

Naruto saw Anko brush past him, and heard her engage the raider in taijutsu. Naruto knew the dangers of fighting a cursed being in hand to hand combat, and struggled to rise with his jellied legs. He grabbed the kunai in the back of his chest and yanked it out, gasping in pain. Then relief flowed through him as the Kyuubi's chakra began to heal him. Naruto tore out the other three and staggered to his feet, he threw the kunai down and noticed some suppression seals placed on the handles. This was too advanced for a raider to be using.

Naruto spun and saw Anko deliver a savage blow to the ninja's chest, then drop back as a familiar looking sword pierced the air where she had been standing. The raider shifted his gaze slightly and grinned at Naruto, yellow eyes gleaming.

"Oh cr-" Naruto began, Kaigan flashing brightly.

Orochimaru appeared before Naruto, hitting him with a powerful backhand, then following up with a deadly thrust to Naruto's chest. Naruto let the backhand throw him into a roll to avoid the attack, then hurled a set of shuriken to buy himself enough time to perform another jutsu.

Tajuu Kage Bunshin

The clones of Naruto filled the cave, packed in together tightly, crushing almost everyone in the area against a howling mob of orange. Naruto grabbed the girl and made a beeline for the exit while his clones attempted to distract Orochimaru. Naruto and Anko reached the entrance at the same time, followed shortly by a group of bunshins carrying the prisoners.

"Let's move!" Naruto yelled, blasting out into the heat of the day.

They made it about five feet from the entrance before a blast of superheated air crashed into their backs, hurling them to the hot sand. Naruto glanced back and created another clone to carry the girl. Orochimaru stood at the entrance to the cave, grinning maniacally at them.

"Naruto-kuun" he purred, "I think you should give me back my prize."

Naruto snarled and took up the taijutsu stance that had been in the scroll Asuma had given him. He focused the wind affinity in his body around the blades, extending them about a foot longer.

"Get them out of here Anko, I'll take care of this bastard." Naruto said, tossing Anko the canteen he had made.

Anko looked pained for a moment, then nodded, knowing she was no match for Orochimaru, and that Naruto had the best chance of fighting and getting away from him. She set off with the small river of orange into the desert, heading for Suna, and relative safety.

Orochimaru chuckled, "Actually, she was only a consolation prize, what I really want is you Naruto-kun. That amazing bloodline... and that new seal. Oh, and I'm sure Sasuke will enjoy hearing you scream. After all, my newest vessel needs his entertainment."

Naruto growled.

Shinko Bunshin

Deru Ikari, Tanryoku, Iryoku

"Let's go."

* * *

Notes:

TsuinKamaitacha (Twin cutting winds): similar to Kamaitacha, instead, the user uses two fans and creates two less powerful gusts of razor wind. C rank

Kaze Bunshin (Wind clone): A variation of the standard Bunshin, the user creates an image of his or herself, then imbues the air inside the bunshins with the razor sharp chakra of a wind user, essentially creating a field of razor wire which most enemies just run through. Kaze bunshins are easily dispersed by application of any disruptive chakra, and cannot move very quickly and maintain the amount of wind chakra needed to deal significant damage to enemies. B rank

Ichiman Ken (One thousand blades): Like it says, the user creates one thousand blades of wind to attack one opponent. A very crippling technique, but very dependant on the amount of chakra used to create it. A Rank

Rasengan Naruto (Spiralling Sphere Maelstrom): The user creates a group of kage bunshins, then has each of them form a Rasengan. They dive at the ground, slamming into it and creating a humungous shrapnel bomb. Only really works on stony terrain, but other materials can be used to create dust/sand clouds for cover. A rank (Rasengan's rank.)


	15. The Snake and the Fox

So I wrestled with whether I should just post this chapter right now or wait until inspiration for the next part struck, but in the end, my unending desire to show the world this work won out, so here you go, hope you enjoy it. It's very short for my chapters, I'll make up for it next chap with at least 10k words, and a faster update time too!

Standar disclaimer here

* * *

Naruto: Keeper of the Seal  
Chapter 14  
The Snake and the Fox

Naruto tightened his grip on his trench knives, then disappeared. A swirl of sand marked his passage, then he appeared beside Orochimaru, knives descending upon his victim. Orochimaru batted Naruto away with his left and, then intercepted a sword strike from Prime with Kusangi. Rage leaped over Prime and descended on Orochimaru, who simply phased out of existence, appearing beside Will and sending him flying with a powerful kick. Courage caught Will and sent a pair of kunai whizzing at the snake sannin.

Orochimaru caught the kunai and hurled them behind him, catching Naruto in the shoulder and leg. Naruto tripped to the ground and sent up a spray of sand with the Rasengan he had been preparing to shove into Orochimaru's back. The Naruto holding the Rasengan burst into a puff of smoke and Naruto tore through the haze with his trench knives weaving a web of steel before him. Orochimaru turned and put up a desperate defense, amazed at the speed which Naruto had managed to obtain.

Naruto forced more wind chakra into his body, drawing on the chaotic speed of wind to fuel his movements. He felt his muscles contort and spasm as they were forced beyond what any normal human body should be able to withstand.

Then again, he wasn't human. Not anymore at least.

Naruto's bijuu-like body was able to withstand the harsh beating placed upon him and continue to operate with the speed granted to him by the grace of his wind chakra. Orochimaru broke contact and leaped back as Prime drove his cleaver into the ground where he had been fighting. Courage and Will dashed at the airborne Orochimaru, delivering a pair of powerful blows to each side. Orochimaru intercepted Courage's weapon, but was unable to do anything about Will's staff.

A deep crunching sound came from Orochimaru's side and he grimaced slightly. That had stung, just a little. Or it would have, if he hadn't melted into a pile of sand.

'Suna Bunshin?!" Naruto thought wildly, glancing around.

Orochimaru appeared from above, dropping down with a slicing attack at Naruto's shoulder. With no muscle fast enough to move away from the blow, Naruto sent a pulse of wind chakra up through his body, altering Orochimaru's course slightly and causing the blade to pass less than an inch to the right of him. Naruto hurled himself away as Orochimaru began with a backhand attack. Prime threw himself in the way of the attack, blocking the deadly grass cutter with his overly large sword. They tested each other's strength for a second, then Orochimaru was forced to leap back as Rage hurled himself at the man's back.

Rage twisted in mid air and sent a ridiculous amount of wind chakra to his feet, propelling himself after Orochimaru. Orochimaru moved to block, but Rage simply altered his course slightly, twisting around the blade and digging his claws into Orochimaru's side. Orochimaru once again dissolved into sand, leaving Rage to snarl at the pile of sand which had fallen before him.

"This is pointless Naruto, he can just keep making these sand clones to fight us. Eventually he'll wear us out if we keep going." Prime called.

Naruto nodded thoughtfully, then felt himself hurled aside as Will slammed into him. An instant later, a huge snake poofed into existence, snapping it's jaws over the area where Naruto had been standing. Naruto could see the venom of the snake turn the sand to glass before his eyes. Then an idea popped into his head, his Kaigan flashing momentarily as it processed, reprocessed, then accepted it.

"Prime, we need fire. Lots of it." Naruto called, dodging to one side as Orochimaru reappeared, sending a vicious blow at his stomach.

Prime looked mystified, then smiled, his own Kaigan relaying the information from Naruto's mind to his.

Prime grabbed Rage as he flew towards the Snake Sannin, and pulled him close, delivering a set of instructions to the crazed aspect. Rage's eyes frosted over for a second, then he nodded. Rage flew through a set of seals, then pointed his hand at the sun.

_**Ikari no Amaterasu Oomikami**_

Prime leaped away from Rage as he pumped fire chakra through his body, the only way to survive the incoming technique.

"Naruto! Jump!" Prime yelled, sending a burst of chakra to his feet and soaring into the air.

Naruto and his aspects followed suit, except for Rage, who stood, surrounded by a wreath of white hot flames. Orochimaru took shelter on the top of his summon's head, ready to leap away if the incoming jutsu were to prove even too powerful for the mighty snake to withstand. Naruto channeled as much wind chakra as he could and took advantage of the hot air to create an updraft to keep himself and his aspects in the air as long as possible.

All of this had occured within the space of about two seconds, then Naruto felt the incoming heat.

A shaft of pure white light slammed into the area which Rage was now standing on. The earth rumbled in protest and the light spilled over the surrounding area, creating a sea of angry heat out of the rolling dunes of Kaze no Kuni. Orochimaru leaped from his summon's head as it poofed out of existence, taking advantage of Naruto's updraft, and the resulting explosion of upward spiraling heat to keep himself aloft.

Raging heat lifted Naruto and his clones higher into the air, annihilating any clouds that had the audacity to be in the area. Naruto looked down and saw the outline of Rage standing in the center of the shaft, hands raised, and for all the world, looking like he was laughing. Naruto shuddered. Crazy.

Naruto began to feel the sensation of dropping as gravity pulled him back towards the carnage below.

_**Kage Bunshin**_

Naruto spring boarded off his clone and flew higher into the air, coming up behind Orochimaru. Naruto delivered a powerful kick to the man's back, sending them both flying in opposite directions. Orochimaru managed to get himself turned to face Naruto and growled, releasing killer intent and some wind chakra. Naruto froze for a second, then released a burst of wind chakra to propel him at the airborne Snake Sannin. Orochimaru blocked with his arm and caught Naruto's wrist with hand, crushing it in a vice-like grip. Naruto tried to pull away, but the lack of grip due to the fact that he was floating in the air didn't help at all.

Naruto sent a burst of wind chakra at the Sannin, propelling himself away, and straight towards the shaft of light that his aspect had called down. Orochimaru grinned at Naruto's impending fate, then stared as Naruto released an even larger burst of wind chakra, driving himself away from the vortex of death.

Orochimaru didn't have time to wonder, as Naruto hurled himself bodily at the Sannin with the aid of another few Kage Bunshins. Orochimaru created his own Kage Bunshin and leaped high into the air. Biding his time.

Then, as soon as it had begun, the shaft of light dissipated. Naruto let himself drop, creating a cushion of air to soften his landing. His clones all did likewise, as for Orochimaru, he simply slammed into the ground, creating a crater in the smooth field of... glass? Naruto stood amazed. Under his feet as a section of glass at least three yards deep, containing a few scant rocks, and the remains of the few poor creatures that had been seeking shelter from the sun's heat that day. He even saw what looked like the tail of some massive creature that had been dwelling within the sand caught within the blast.

Rage stood on a slightly raised mound of glass, grinning triumphantly at the warped landscape before him. Orochimaru simply stared, visibly shaking at the amount of power used to create that technique. It was easily avoidable, but still... He was having second thoughts about who his next vessel should be. Or at the very least, who the vessel after that would be. And that ability.

Orochimaru decided. He would have the boy, whatever it took.

Naruto saw Orochimaru musing, and took the advantage. He and Prime dashed forward in a formation they had been practicing in his mind, the two weaving and jumping over and around each other in a mind boggling pattern only attainable by perfect coordination. Orochimaru was broken out of his reverie and found it hard to follow either one specifically with his eyes. It was hard to tell which was which, and he was sure that they were employing at the very least a haze of chakra, or even a genjutsu to further disorient him.

Of course, his trying to separate the two, combined with his new lust for the boy's power, left him wide open to the most vicious of the group.

Rage hurled himself onto Orochimaru's back, raking with his claws and clamping down on the Snake Sannin's collarbone with his enlarged canines. Rage convulsed his body, tearing at the flesh of his opponent and relishing in the flow of blood that began to pour from the man's wounds. A snapping sound rent the air and Orochimaru cried out in pain. Rage soon found himself gnawing on a hunk of glass, while Orochimaru appeared a fair distance away, nursing his broken collarbone.

"No more Suna Bunshins eh Orochimaru?" Naruto taunted.

Orochimaru growled and began to flow through a set of hand seals.

"Will!" Naruto yelled.

A javelin arced from Will's hand, heading direct for Orochimaru. Orochimaru simply ducked to one side and the javelin buried itself into the ground behind him. A burst of smoke appeared around the javelin and the golden figure of Courage plunged out, sword swinging.

Orochimaru let a kick fly at Courage, receiving a cut on his thigh in return for hurling Courage away from him. His mouth enlarged to mythical proportions and he unleashed a burst of air at the incoming Naruto.

_**Futon, Daitoppa**_

Naruto sent a burst of wind chakra at the incoming projectile, not even bothering to dodge, and paid for it dearly.

As the wind chakra struck the wind bullet, Orochimaru grinned, forming a single seal.

_**Kaze Bakuhatsu!**_

Naruto flew back as the hidden technique within the Daitoppa gathered in the surrounding energy from all nearby jutsus and unleashed a torrent of razor sharp winds in every direction. Orochimaru simply shielded himself with wind chakra, and watched with malice as Naruto's aspects poofed into clouds of smoke, only to be carried away by the hurricane strength winds.

Naruto himself was in bad condition. A dozen very large cuts adorned his body, completely destroying his new clothing, and leaving him bleeding out all over the glass of their battleground. Orochimaru grimaced as he set his collarbone, then healed it. He strode over to the still form of Naruto, grinning at how he had fallen for that single trick. He knew of the Kyuubi's healing power, and if he wanted to take Naruto, he would have to act quickly.

Apparently, quicker than he already was.

XXXXXX

Naruto felt himself drift into darkness, then light filled his vision as he entered his mindscape. Prime and the three aspects he had used all lay on the ground, injured and in Rage's case, almost dead from chakra exhaustion. Naruto forced a bit of mental energy into each, stabilizing them until he could get to them later.

Naruto turned his eyes to the west, where a great volcano rose from the ground. Naruto focused, then felt his feet touch the top of the volcano.

Standing in the middle of the furnace was none other than Kyuubi himself. Kyuubi glanced up from a viewing pool and grinned at Naruto.

"Is it time?" He asked.

Naruto nodded, "Three minutes is all you'll get, or if you defeat Orochimaru. Otherwise, my body will destroy itself with your chakra."

Kyuubi nodded, "Of course. When we finally get your body upgraded fully, we'll see about increasing the length."

Naruto focused on the crystal formation in the east, drawing the Kaigan into himself, then pointed at Kyuubi.

"Go forth."

XXXXXX

Orochimaru had been preparing to put the boy into temporary stasis, when he saw the Makai seal on Naruto's neck begin to glow and spread. Orochimaru began to flow through his seals faster, knowing that he would have to finish this soon. Not a moment later, Orochimaru's hand glowed blue, and he reached down to touch the unconcious boy.

He never made it.

The Makai seal spread across Naruto's body in a pattern of flames, then his hand shot up, catching Orochimaru's by the wrist. The wounds on Naruto's body faded to nothing, then his head turned up slowly.

Red slitted eyes greeted Orochimaru, "Welcome to Makai."

A wave of red chakra erupted from Naruto's body, slamming Orochimaru into the ground. Kyuubi grinned as he leaped to his feet, relishing in the newfound freedom once again. The Makai seal turned molten red, then twisted completely over Naruto's body, forming three red tails, two red fox ears, and a fox's face over his own. A scintillating display of colors played around Naruto's body, as he focused on keeping himself together while Kyuubi was granted access to three tails of his power.

Ever since Naruto had started becoming a bijuu, it had begun to get harder and harder to pull out the Kyuubi's chakra. When he had consulted the mighty fox, Kyuubi had told him that each of the Bijuu's chakra was an anathema to the other. Since Naruto had begun to develop his own blue bijuu chakra, or as Kyuubi had called it, youkai, Naruto's body had begun to create even more blocks to Kyuubi's chakra.

The Makai seal on Naruto's shoulder was a pathway through which Kyuubi's chakra could escape into his system, and thus, begin to tear his body apart. Naruto and Kyuubi had worked this out by using the Kaigan to separate Naruto's bijuu chakra from Kyuubi's, and to basically hold his body together while Kyuubi created an outer 'shell' with which to fight. However, this put enormous strain on both Kyuubi and Naruto, as their chakra's would still attempt to break through the shield of Naruto's Kaigan and burn away at each other. Thusly, if Kyuubi drew too much power, he would kill Naruto, and if Naruto slipped up, he would kill... Naruto. Then they would both die.

Anyway.

Kyuubi flew at the snake Sannin, lashing out with the new formed claws on his hands as the Makai seal spread over Naruto's body even more. Eventually a humanoid fox stood before Orochimaru, baring it's teeth and preparing rip his throat out.

Orochimaru ducked the attack and unleashed a flurry of kunai at Kyuubi. Kyuubi simply batted them aside with one of his tails and brought his foot down on the Sannin's head. Orochimaru smashed through the glass field,then turned into a chunk of glass. Kyuubi scowled and threw himself at the Snake Sannin as he got his bearings after the body switch.

Orochimaru drew Kusangi and began to fight, Kyuubi dodging the deadly sword while Orochimaru blocked any incoming attacks with it's edge, leaving a few scratches over Kyuubi's arms and legs. Orochimaru grinned, knowing the poison would soon take effect. Kyuubi let him think that.

You see, Kyuubi's form was just a manifestation of one tail of his chakra, basically a chakra shell which could be poisoned, crushed, or even sliced to pieces, and not damage Naruto or Kyuubi. Only if one were to drain the chakra away, or run Kyuubi right through to get to the Naruto within him, would they cause any lasting damage. Orochimaru definitely did not need to know that.

Kyuubi felt Naruto's concentration falter, and dropped one tail. One tail faded from his body and he renewed his attack. Soon he would be down to a half tail, and after that, Naruto would have to come back out. Granted, his body was healed, but he was starting to run low on chakra through a combination of the various justu he had used today and the fact that it was expending itself trying to eat it's way out of the Kaigan shell that Naruto had created.

Not to mention that fact that his aspects were out for the count. At this thought, Kyuubi grinned.

_**Deru Ikari**_

Kyuubi's rage took form and charged Orochimaru, slamming him to the ground. Another tail faded from Kyuubi and he charged, wanting to end this quickly. The snake sannin replaced himself once again, then was forced to move immediately as a burst of white foxfire erupted from Rage's tail. Orochimaru leaped and jumped like an acrobat, dashing and somersaulting through the pattern being woven by Rage's tail.

Kyuubi joined him, forcing the Sannin back, and even managing to take a chunk out of his right arm. Orochimaru scowled, then grinned as his feet touched down on sand. Kyuubi swore as he realized that the Snake had been leading the fight to the edge of the field of sand from the beginning, and now Orochimaru had an advantage back, an endless supply of clones who were almost as powerful as he was. And more expendable.

Kyuubi looked at Rage, then nodded. The scintillating colors around Kyuubi gave one final burst and Kyuubi's last tail began to fade. Orochimaru grinned as he began to summon a Suna Bunshin, only to have his eyes widen in shock as the two foxes burst forwards, concentrating every last bit of youkai they had into one final strike. Orochimaru brought Kusangi up, hoping to protect at least his torso and head from attack.

A red X appeared over Orochimaru's chest and he blinked, then coughed up blood. Kyuubi and Rage appeared behind him, kneeling. They both faded, and Naruto once again was in control of his body. Naruto felt broken, and very low on chakra. He decided to try and end it in this one shot.

**_Kenshou_**

"Hey Orochimaru." Naruto said over his shoulder.

Orochimaru turned, paler than normal, blood leaking from his lips. Naruto turned his head and caught his gaze, uttering out one single word, laden with all the power of his Kaigan empowered eyes.

_**Ariyou**_

The world around them faded to black and white, and when Naruto opened his mouth to speak, ripples erupted all around him.

"That is not your body Orochimaru. Come out."

The ripples focused on Orochimaru, then the world returned to color, each ripple racing into his body.

Orochimaru screamed in pure agony. Every year, every scar, every pain was relived in an instant. Then, the years and lives of all of his bodies slashed through him, opening up wounds that would cipple even the greatest of shinobi. Naruto screamed as well, feeling every bit as pained as Orochimaru, but for a different reason. He had just altered reality, and there would be hell to pay.

Orochimaru's body burst, and out stumbled an old man, stooped with age, eyes faded over. He fell to his knees, glaring at Naruto, then whispered, his voice crackling.

"This is not yet over, boy" He spit the last word.

Orochimaru melted into the ground, and Naruto fell as well, feeling the awareness of the universe once again focus on him.

"Well cr-"

Then all faded.

* * *

Sooo, whatcha thinkin'? Good, bad?

Notes Formerly Known as Kakashi's

Ikari no Amaterasu Oomikami (Rage of the Sun Goddess): In the world there are many spirit beings who control the various facets of nature. One such being is the sun goddess. The user of this technique sends a colossal amount of fire chakra into summon space, which then emerges in the sun goddess's domain. The sun goddess follows this trail of chakra to the user and unleashes her wrath upon him or her. A shaft of condensed sunlight is poured onto the ground where the user is located, scorching him and the ground around him for hundreds of yards. This technique is only complete when the user can summon up white flames around him or herself. The white flames reflect the light away from the user and protect them until the sun goddess calms. This technique only lasts for about three to five seconds, but the chakra cost is enormous, and the mastery over fire must be almost absolute.. (S Rank).

Kaze Bakuhatsu (Wind Eruption): This technique creates a massive explosion of cutting winds which spread out in a radius, cutting everything in it's path to shreds. Kaze Bakuhatsu is traditionally a suicide technique, where the user concentrates all the wind chakra in their body and allows the wind to explode from their skin, killing all the enemies around them. However, those who have gained a mastery over wind can conceal the technique within another wind technique and detonate it remotely. This remote detonation is much weaker than a self detonation, but can still be quite deadly, depending on how much wind chakra is already saturating the air. Because Naruto had been tossing wind chakra around like it was candy, this technique was especially deadly to him and his aspects. (A rank).

Ariyou (The way things are, or should be): Requires Kenshou. Within the field of Kenshou, all beings are subject the the users unique view of the absolute truth. The user can manipulate this field to alter certain truths to a point. The most basic form of Ariyou gives the wielder the perspective of what 'should be', allowing them to see forward in time slightly. However, the user may also wield the Kenshou in such a way that the truth becomes what the user believes it should be. The closer a user stays to reality when altering something to the way it should be, the less chakra, and damage they take in the long run. For instance, telling an apple it's a pear would certainly be a death sentence, violating all laws of the universe in the change. However, Orochimaru was an old man. Naruto simply forced him to face that truth, and then forced the years of all his victims on to him, essentially aging him to the sum of all the years that he had lived and stolen. Naruto simply changed Orochimaru's body to reflect what his age should be, plus the years of the bodies he had stolen.

The way things are or should be does not stop here though. It will be explored more in depth... later... MUAHAHAHA

Once again, if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask, I like to employ Naruto science whenever possible.


	16. The Legend of the Bijuu

Aaaand we're back

Disclaimer same as always, yadda yadda yadda

This chapter is for trixy fox, whose questions allowed me to continue to write. So ask questions! I work faster when I have something to answer.

Naruto: Keeper of the Seal  
Chapter 15  
The Legend of the Bijuu

"Naruto"

Naruto felt the cold of the abyss fade from around him, the awareness of the universe having turned elsewhere, exacting it's vengeance upon his mind and body. Naruto could feel his enhanced bones knitting, and his bruised skin fading to new pink flesh. His ravaged mind felt the cool presence of the Kaigan flowing through it, restoring what little could be restored, and recycling the rest. Naruto could feel the holes in his memory forming as the Kaigan swept through the deepest corners of his consciousness.

"Naruto"

Naruto felt a tug at his soul, sensing his bond with something within himself 'twanging.' It seemed as if the beast was summoning him.

"NARUTO!" The voice of the Kyuubi rang out.

Naruto felt the tug grow, then hurl him in a new direction through his mind. A swirl of color passed him by and he felt the warm embrace of the Kaigan flow over him like a hot bath. He smiled lazily in pleasure, feeling in heaven after the torture the universe had inflicted on him. He faintly remembered the ordeal, but came up against a mental block whenever he tried to think of the details. For the better he supposed. Pain was always better remembered then experienced.

Naruto's body flowed up to the top of a volcano and he found himself settling upon a rock opposite a giant nine tailed fox. Four of the fox's tails seemed to have fazed out of existence, becoming mere ghosts of themselves. Naruto giggled and tried to pet one, but Kyuubi gave him a dark look and swatted his hand away.

"Enough Naruto, I called you here for a reason, and that was not to gawk and play with my depleted tails. You see, this depletion from protecting your mind from the Universe has given me the chance to teach you more about the Bijuu, and even have you believe it. Now settle down."

Naruto looked at the giant fox, feeling as if he were important, then a flash of color flowed through his eyes and he brightened. Memories flooded from the Kaigan's crystals into his own mind, filling in the blanks of what he had lost and perfecting certain truths he had not yet known.

"Kyuubi. All right, tell your story." Naruto said, naming the entity he had just remembered.

Kyuubi settled back, preparing to give a very long speech to a very annoying little boy.

"All right gaki, it's time for you to learn about what you're becoming, your heritage to put it bluntly. Our story starts at the beginning of time as we know it...

XXXXXX

As far as our history can tell, we, the Youkai, had always existed. The Youkai were the beings you have come to know as demons, however, we fit into many categories. The more evil of our brothers joined in a confederation known as the Oni, true demons, those who seek to torment ningen beyond all else. The Youkai, the more neutral of the three parties was the most numerous, and included my clan. Then there were the Tenshi, the Tenshi were the 'better' part of the group known as the Youkai.

We first existed on a planet called Gaea, a world filled with perfection in it's own forms. For the Oni, there was a dark, desolate waste which they enjoyed so much, for the Youkai, the elements, wind, water, fire and earth, and for the Tenshi, a place apart in the sky. The Oni and Tenshi had long ago made a pact to remain separate, the Oni burrowing into the earth, or dwelling in the muck of the swamp, while the Tenshi dwelt in the sky above upon their clouds.

The world of Gaea was perfect, no war was had, and evil and good existed in perfect harmony, along with the driving force of balance. Us Youkai served as messengers and ambassadors to each of our extremist cousins. We were content.

Then of course, your universe came into being. A universe that lacked the power of balance between good and evil. This lack of balance brought it to the attention of our bretheren. The Tenshi called out to his brethren, saying:

"Come, let us go to this new world and make it light. For our cousins, the Oni, would only seek to darken it beyond all other worlds."

And the Oni in turn said:

"The Tenshi in their high places assume to know the way things ought to be in this new world. Let us go there and rule as gods would, then we shall bring those inhabitants unto the darkness to dwell with us."

So they each departed, leaving very few members of their own races behind to guard their world. We Youkai on the other hand chose to remain where we were, content with our lot and happy to live in peace upon our world without the greater contention of our brethren. Balance ruled in our land, and we were at peace once again, only occasionally receiving word of our brethren on this new world.

Of course, our brethren were not so peaceful in their attempts to turn this world to theirs. Six different sentient races evolved before the humans did, and each one was treated as a pawn in the game between the Oni and the Tenshi, sacrificed for the smallest tip in the balance between light and dark. In that time, the Tenshi became no better than the Oni, and soon, a great many lost their allegiance to the light with which they had once held to so closely.

Of course, this loss of balance alerted us, the Youkai, to the impending doom of the world upon which the Oni and the Tenshi struggled. Our brethren who still dwelt in the sky and deep places were overcome with either a sense of devotion or despair, and had begun to falter in the balance. We could feel the fragile scales upon which our world rested beginning to tilt, so we acted.

One-hundred of each clan of the Youkai were sent to the new world to attempt to bring peace between the Oni and the Tenshi. Eight-hundred and one in total. I from the Fox clan, Shukaku from the Tanuki clan, Nekotama from the Cat clan, Isonade from the Shark clan, Sokou of no clan, Houkou from the Dog clan, Raijuu from the Weasel clan, Kaku from the Badger clan and Hachibi from the Snake clan. We, except for Sokou, who was alone, were the leaders of our hundred, and were destined to bring the Tenshi and the Oni back together under the power of balance. Of the hundreds of Tenshi and Oni who dwelt upon this new world, forty-five of them were considered the leaders. Not of a clan, but of their groups. About thirty of Tenshi, and fifteen of the Oni, due to constant power struggles. Each of these forty-five were equal in power, but different in nature.

When we arrived, the Oni and Tenshi had set themselves up as gods, forsaking their devotion to the balance which we Youkai represented. But this self-stylized godhood had cost them. You see, us, the Youkai, were the ones who had gifted our brethren with physical bodies. When they had given up our nature, that of balance itself, they were torn from their physical bodies and made to assume the spiritual form that they had inhabited before we had given them physical strength.

And so it began.

Physical power was by far the more powerful of the two, and even though our fallen brethren fought like madmen, and with greater numbers, we were able to win victory after victory. I myself had lost a bare five of my warriors, while the others suffered no more than ten, including a variety of injuries. Meanwhile, the Tenshi and Oni fell in droves, their spiritual bodies failing under the physical assault of our unique energy.

Of course, the one thing we had failed to take into account was the ningen which had come to exist upon the world.

You humans were a fledgling race, little more than savages, cutting each other down with swords and clubs in the name of your 'gods,' the Oni and the Tenshi. We had disregarded you as a minor inconvenience, for even without the power of the bijuu, we were still mighty, creatures, standing dozens of feet high and being even longer in some cases. What threat could these little beings possible pose to us?

This was to be our downfall. You see, while we were fighting the lesser of our brethren, the greater were working on a project which would wipe out our entire army, forever. The Tenshi and Oni had come to work together under the threat of our invasion, and had begun developing a way to impose their spiritual essence upon the physical essence of the ningen which dwelt in the world. They eventually found a way.

You see, of all creatures, ningen are born without a sense of duty to either good, evil, law, chaos, or balance. They are completely free to chose. Thus, by combining the light and dark of the Oni and Tenshi, they were able to create a matter, known to you as the human soul, which they could force into a being. However, these ningen were not enough.

The ningen at the time were not actually humans per se, but what we refer to as the ancestors of the humans. When the Tenshi and Oni forced their essence into your bodies, you became what you are today, a physically weaker raced, but with the power of the soul to draw upon. Our brethren had created you.

Our first clash with the ningen did not go well. Your chakra was an unknown force to us, and caught us completely off guard. I lost more than half of my warriors in the first assault to your strange powers. You see, chakra was extremely volatile when it was first created, more likely to cause the user to implode rather than mount a successful attack. So what did the ningen do? They simply threw themselves on us and exploded. This disregard for life threw us into even deeper chaos, for we of the Youkai cherished all life, and were appalled by the lack of reverence for it shown by your race.

We retreated. Licking our wounds, we sent a call back to our elders in the land of our birth.

They presented us with a plan. They would seal the gateway between worlds to prevent more of the Tenshi and Oni from coming through, while we did the one thing left that we could do. We were to seal the forty-five most powerful Tenshi and Oni within us. Robbed of their leaders, they would fall into disarray, allowing our warriors to remove the rest of the Oni and Tenshi from this world.

Me and my compatriots, the nine you now call the bijuu, submitted ourselves to the task of sealing. We quickly set up a ritual which would give us the ability to use our physical energy to imprison our brethren within us, just as they had forced their essence into the physical power of the ningen of this world.

We charged the ningen, throwing them off balance long enough for us to break through and make our way to what you humans call heaven, or hell in the case of the Oni. We crushed the defending spirits and forced our way into their inner sanctums, finally confronting our most powerful enemies. By this time, I had eight warriors left, and the others even less.

Shukaku pounced first upon the Tenshi known as the lord of the wind. The most powerful of all wind spirits. Shukaku absorbed the Tenshi into himself, then grabbed for another. However, when he attempted to absorb him, something went terribly wrong. You see, seals are only meant to hold one thing, and we were trying to seal forty-five beings into ourselves. Something within Shukaku snapped, and he flew into a rage. His now combined physical and spiritual energies created the power you know as Youkai, and awesome combination of our physical Youkai strength and the spiritual essence of a greater spirit.

I pushed my warriors back, but it was too late to save a majority of the others. I flew at Shukaku, grabbing the Oni out of his hands and absorbing it into myself. I felt the riot of dark emotions that dwelt within the Oni forge through me, shattering my mind and reducing me to mere instinct. I turned and snarled at my followers, then Orochi tackled me to the ground, constricting me as the raging thoughts flowed through me. Then it all faded.

I awoke a few minutes later, my mind my own once again, and a great ritual circle formed around me. I glanced up and found my companions all around, chanting in their clan tongues, incanting a ritual which I did not know. I struggled, feeling the Oni within me cry out in anger and revulsion at being trapped within a physical body. I snarled and tried to get up, but I was bound my the physical energies of my companions.

Their chanting crescendoed and I felt a blinding pain at the base of my tail, then all faded to black once again.

I awoke some time later, in the same place, no longer bound in place. My companions were nowhere to be seen, and I felt a stirring of anger within me, and yet, it was totally unlike the rage I felt when the Oni had influenced my emotions.

I stood, feeling a strange weight behind me. I turned my head and saw nine great tails waving behind me. I stared at them for a long time before snapping out of it. I could definitely feel the spiritual energy emanating from the nine tails, it fairly reeked of Oni and Tenshi, and then I knew.

My brethren, after seeing the effects of a direct sealing, had imbued me with the power of my Tenshi cousins, the Kitsune, to grow extra tails depending upon their power and age. I could feel the spirits of the nine Oni and Tenshi that had been sealed within me, raging for release, yet resigned to being trapped by the powerful physical energies of my body.

I chuckled at the ingenuity of my brethren. The Kitsune's tails allow them to access their power in small bursts, preventing them from completely burning out their bodies with the immense spiritual power that most of the older generation tend to obtain. Using this same principal, they had sealed away nine of the spirits of my cousins within each tail, separating them to prevent collaboration, and preventing them from accessing my mind.

I knew that they would have already finished sealing the rest of the Oni and Tenshi within themselves, and sent their warriors back through the portal to our world.

We on the other hand, would have to stay here. Our home was a place of balance. Yet, when we combined the spiritual strength of or cousins, and the physical strength of ours, we created a power far beyond anything ever heard of. We could never return home, lest we disrupt that balance and destroy the world from which we came. We instead would be charged with maintaining the balance of power in this world.

The remaining Oni and Tenshi fled to their high and low places, seeking refuge from our strength. They continued to gather followers, and soon became the beings you know as the Kami, and in some cases, the Gods. You ningen had the strange ability to strengthen those who you had faith in. Thus, our cousins grew in power, until they revealed themselves to us, confident of their strength.

Instead of fighting, me and the other eight bijuu formed a pact with the Oni and Tenshi. The Oni and Tenshi would allow the ningen to keep their free will, much as we Youkai had, and they would be free to come and go as they pleased, setting up their heaven and hell, their realms and such.

We bijuu faded into the background, becoming history, Myth, then Legend. We went into deep hibernation, and the spirits within us strived to gain power over our bodies. Each of us slowly began to lose sight of our mission, and our sanity.

As we lost sight of our goal, we slowly began to return to the world, a world now inhabited by ninja. These ninja were able to combat us more effectively than their forefathers, using a sealing technique similar to our own to imprison us for a time when we could be captured. Shukaku was the first to be lost, then Nibi. Many still remain free, but I myself fell, and am now imprisoned within you.

Akatsuki has been gathering us up, manipulating our Youkai, but to what end, I do not know. All I know is, the power of Youkai was only meant to be wielded by the Bijuu. Youkai is the combination of nearly unlimited spiritual energy, and the more potent 'heavy' physical energy of our fathers. This terrible power has too much chance to be abused.

And this is where my story ends, this is the Legend of the Bijuu. 

XXXXXX

"Right... so, what does this have to do with my powers?" Naruto asked.

Kyuubi sighed, "Look gaki, the Kaigan is slowly changing you into a Youkai. In time you may even inherit the spiritual beings that dwell within my tails, but the main reason I told you this was so that you would know the truth. Your ability seems to grow stronger when you know the truth, and now that you know what you're becoming, and the Kaigan now knows what it's turning you into, it should smooth over the transition. This in turn will change you into a creature that dwells outside the rules of the universe. As the Kaigan alters your body into a Youkai/Ningen hybrid, the universe will start to ignore you when you alter it, as your existence is a contradiction in itself. In time, your offspring may eventually be included into the great tapestry of the universe, but before then, you should be able to operate outside the rules that bind the universe together, to an extent."

"To an extent?" Naruo asked.

"As a Youkai, you are subject to the rules of my universe, and yours, however, contradicting rules will tend to cancel each other out. For instance, in my reality, we Youkai are able to alter the illusions of our Kitsune cousins into reality. You will be able to do this eventually, and not have the universe come in and tear it down. Your ability to change things to the way they should be will also be affected, but I'm no quite sure how yet."

Naruto blinked, then grinned, "That's AWESOME!"

"You're too loud. I'm tired, so leave, I'm sure your friends want to see you more than I do."

Naruto grinned and bowed before the Kyuubi that faded away.

Kyuubi sat back, "Gaki, you'd better not let me down. I've put a lot of work into you." 

XXXXXX

Naruto's eyes blinked open, then he sat up, groaning in pain.

The glassy field under him gave way to the sand of Kaze no Kuni, creating the endless dunes which Naruto had so come to hate. Trudging up and down the coarse, yielding waves of sand had caused him to fall more than once, and resulted in a tremendous amount of effort which he would rather not have had to use.

In the distance, through the shimmering heat of the day, Naruto could see the faint outline of a large wall of sand. In fact, it peculiarly like the wall around Konoha.

Naruto struggled to his feet, planting them firmly and shading his eyes for a better look. His mouth was dry, but he had given his canteen to Anko and the other lady so that they could give the prisoners something to drink.

Licking his dry lips, Naruto trudged forward, intent on reaching this peculiar change in the scenery of Kaze no Kuni. At least here might be some shade from the unforgiving sun. Naruto's shredded clothing offered little protection against it's harsh glare, and he was sure he would be well burned before he even got to the monument.

Two hours later, the wall of sand had not grown any closer, and Naruto was beginning to despair. He knew that intense heat could sometimes summon up illusions known as mirages, but he was almost sure that this thing was real. Of course, that's what most men said as they drank sand believing it was water.

Naruto was about to slam his foot to the ground once more, when he felt a slight tension under his foot. He looked down and saw a length of ninja wire, which he was about to step on.

Now ninja wire meant two things. First, there was somebody nearby, and hopefully, they had water. Naruto was pretty sure he could flare his chakra and scare away any bandits, or paralyze them with the focused killing intent granted to him by his eyes. Of course, they could also be ninja, and unless they were low chuunin or less, Naruto wouldn't be able to do more than make them flinch.

Secondly, the ninja wire meant that the person in question didn't want visitors. Or wanted to be warned of visitors in advance, just in case an enemy was attacking.

Naruto leaned back, his head throbbing with the heat. He forced himself to follow the ninja wire, running in a parallel line to the wall which he had been trying to reach. At the end of the wire, Naruto saw a seal, which he instantly recognized as an alert seal. He knew that this seal would have little effect on him, except to bring the owner close.

Naruto glanced at the wall, glanced back at the seal, then looked at the wall again. Finally, sighing, he stomped on the ninja wire.

Nothing.

Naruto looked down at the wire and stomped on it again, still nothing. He shook his head, trying to figure out what was wrong. This was the strangest alarm he had ever seen, considering it didn't make noise at all. He examined it closer, and still couldn't find anything to suggest it was more than a seal that made a loud noise.

Naruto concentrated his chakra, then sent a burst through the note, causing it to go fuzzy, then realign itself with reality. Naruto blinked. He tried it again, then came to the proper conclusion.

Kaigan

Naruto's Kaigan strove against the sun for brilliance, taking in the surroundings, and thoroughly tearing them apart.

Naruto stood within a shaded valley, his eyes casting a muti-hued light on the wall. He forced a little more chakra to his eyes and the light brightened, revealing several crouching figures ahead, all wearing ANBU masks.

"Surrender." One said coldly, preparing to launch a kunai at Naruto.

Naruto nodded, then promptly fell on his face.

"Wow, they usually don't respond that quick."

"Shut up."

* * *

No Kakashi's notes today... Wow, that's a new one.


	17. The Spirit of the Wind

Ok, sorry about the humungous delay, but I've finally figured out what I want to do with this story... FINALLY! So, updates should be smoother from here on out.

side note: Byakko should be up tonight or tomorrow, chap's almost done.

* * *

Naruto: Keeper of the Seal  
Chapter 16  
The Spirit of the Wind

Naruto flowed.

He felt the strength of the wind around him, anticipating him, pushing him. A violent flurry of blows, then a fleeting presence. A glimpse of sun tinted orange, then a raging maelstrom of claws. His opponent followed him similarly, moving with the swiftness that only the wind could grant, the grace of one who knows no boundaries.

Naruto felt the fleeting energy of his chakra swirling around him. He could feel the movements of _her_. A strike, but his hand already there to parry, a counter-stroke, met only by the effervescent presence of what was surely never there. This was not battle, this was dance. A thing of beauty, rather than destruction. He felt none of the berserker frenzy, nor the desperate anger that often filled him when he was forced to confront one in even the lightest of sparring matches. There was no thrill of excitement at the powerful blows delivered, there was only peace.

And why should there not be? He was the Kamikaze. The spirit of the wind embodied.

His opponent faltered. Naruto took the misstep and drove forward. His gentle breeze, flowing and serene, became a hurricane of force. Blows rained down on a veritable bastion of strength. And yet, he knew, the grace of wind was the power to overcome, to circumvent that which stood before. The howling wind, the gentlest gust, all travelled the world, no care for any obstacle. Wind sacrificed strength to continue, but continue it did, an undeniable force.

Naruto's blows fell upon the shield still, and the shield bent. Strikes fell, were blocked, then fell upon flesh again. Naruto pushed forward, sensing victory, he felt the glorious rush of adrenaline, lending him a burst of speed, his blows more power.

And he faltered.

The grace of wind departed, giving way to his natural brawler's instincts. His punches became heavy, his kicks clumsy. He no longer swirled, but bumbled his way through, an elephant among cats. One final blow shattered his opponent's defense, but it found no target, for the spirit of wind had carried her from his grasp. A rain of blows fell upon his back, Naruto stumbled, but turned to find nothing. He tried to summon the aid of wind to him once again, but he had already lost his center. He growled, his multi-hued eyes flickering as he searched for his opponent. Yet, it was no genjutsu that hid her from his sight.

His natural affinity for wind warned him a second too late, another blow fell, this one with the strength of a tsunami. He dropped to one knee, eyes flashing. He caught sight of her, a glimpse of perfection, her body flowing away from him already. He charged after her, eyes fixed. His empowered senses tracked her movements, he could _see_ the power of wind flowing around her as if it were a hurricane of gentle fury. Then she was gone.

His eyes flashed, revealing her position, now above him. A simple bending of the light, a mirror, constructed from the power of wind. Not a true genjutsu, but still penetrable by his Kaigan. His hand arced up, slamming into nothing, as expected. Naruto let himself fall forward, avoiding the blow to his side.

Naruto's analytical mind took hold. He had lost his center, and could no longer move with the grace of wind that his opponent did, but he would be cursed before he would let her win easily. If at all. His Kaigan picked up a notch, keeping up with his mind, flowing seamlessly through the colors of human imagination.

_Yes_

Naruto fell into a stance which he had once seen used by a prodigy among prodigies, a man who he had not at the time, but had come to respect.

_Neji, this one's for you_

Naruto closed his eyes. He would never be able to copy the efficiency, the sheer strength of his once nemesis' attack, but he felt sure of his ability to pull off this faux move. He gathered chakra into his body, waiting.

He felt her, directly ahead. He trusted in his senses, gathering a final bit of chakra, burning a sphere of blue energy around him.

A strike flew, the force of a hurricane behind it.

Naruto released, spinning on one foot.

_**Kuuhaku**_

Silence.

His opponent choked, the blow with the power of wind behind it slapping painlessly across Naruto's chest.

Naruto released his breath, then let the technique fade.

A great rush of wind swirled into the area, knocking Naruto's opponent off her feet. Naruto laughed, letting his foxy nature get the best of him when he should have gone for the killing blow. His opponent glared, then laughed too.

"What was that Naruto?" Miaki asked, accepting his hand.

"Well, I figured, since we've been training with wind element techniques, that would be your specialization, so I figured I might need something to beat you if we ever had a sparring match." Naruto replied.

Miaki raised an eyebrow, "In case of a sparring match eh?"

Naruto smiled, "I also happen to know that fire can't survive without oxygen. It's a good counter for either. I figured, since you were gonna hit me with all that wind chakra swirling around you, I might as well take that chakra away."

"You're a genius, you know that Naruto. If you weren't almost half my age I would have jumped you by now." Miaki said, winking.

Naruto gulped, "On to a safer topic..."

"Right. Why don't we go ask Gaara about your status. I've had enough training with you for today. You're like... fourteen, how the heck are you such a powerhouse?"

Naruto chuckled, "It comes with a price tag, trust me."

They walked down the streets of Suna, largely ignored by the populace, only receiving occasional glances or nods from people who recognized them. It had been about three weeks since Naruto had made his escape to Suna, and things were looking pretty up. No Konoha nin had been spotted in the area, and no suspicious activity had been reported recently.

Naruto reflected lightly on his life as a missing nin, it seemed to be working out well so far. Of course, he was friends with the Kazekage of a hidden village, so that could be the reason why things were going so smoothly. In fact, they were going so well, he was actually considering applying as a Suna shinobi. He grimace slightly, that would put a serious stint on his dream, but then again, becoming the Hokage of a village where you are a wanted criminal is also quite a hard thing. Yes, becoming a Suna nin was becoming a more attractive decision every day.

First off, there was protection. One of the main reasons ninja established hidden villages was for mutual security, that and the chance to develop a stable economic situation for them. Being a missing nin from Konoha of all places required you to be fairly strong if you wanted to avoid the sizeable resources available to such a large village. Suna offered that kind of protection. First off, they were allies of Konoha, so they would probably be able to negotiate a deal. Knowing Tsunade, she would probably be able to 'trade' Naruto to Suna for a bit of cash and call it quits. After all, he was just a pestilence upon them while he was there, right? And, being a Suna nin would forbid any other village from attempting to put a seal of any sort on him. A seal which he desperately did not want on him.

Secondly, there was so much to learn here! Naruto had always known, but never really processed that fact that he, a wind user, would have the greatest advantage in a village located in the country of **wind**. His daily training with Miaki's Zephyr style was a blessing which he couldn't begin to fathom. His timely saving of the woman had proven to be more to his advantage than he could have imagined. Not to mention the fact that the woman had a veritable arsenal of wind jutsu which she could teach him.

"...Naruto... NARUTO!" Miaki yelled in his ear.

Naruto jumped, "Yeah?"

Miaki sighed, "Look kid, pay more attention, we're here."

Naruto looked up at the Kage tower, strange how things don't really change between villages eh?

Naruto took a flying leap to the window which Gaara often left open to admit a cool, or in most cases, warm breeze. His jump would have fallen short about twenty feet, but he simply released a burst of wind chakra, creating a roaring tornado under him to cover the rest of the distance. He landed crouched, flecks of sand shimmering in the air around him.

"Uzumaki Naruto, reporting." He said, kneeling in mock seriousness.

Gaara's eye twitched, he refused to look up from his paperwork, there was too much to do. He wouldn't let this blond distract him, no matter how much the man meant to him personally. No matter.

Naruto's eyes flashed in the multi-hued colors of the Kaigan, he looked Gaara up and down.

"He's restless again." Naruto stated.

Gaara nodded.

"I still say you should let me-" Naruto began.

"No. Maybe after, but I have no time for experiments Uzumaki. There's too much too do, and you aren't helping. Do you have any idea how much paperwork I have to file to even allow you to be in this village? Let alone join it?" Gaara asked, rubbing his eyes.

"Awww cmon Gaara, I never asked to join..."

"And yet, you inevitably will, and I'd rather have it all waiting for me to stamp off when you decide to join up. I could use someone with your skills, but I'm beginning to wonder if it isn't too much work."

Naruto sighed. His energy drained away and he moved over to the desk opposite Gaara.

"At least let me... suppress him." Naruto asked, looking at Gaara with pleading eyes.

Gaara looked up, amazed, "You can do that?"

Naruto nodded, "For a short while, nothing permanent, but I can slam him back into that cage for a while."

Gaara considered, then nodded, "But no seals Uzumaki."

Naruto grinned, his energy returning, "You bet."

Naruto closed his eyes, allowing the world around him to fade into nothingness.

_**Tsuraneru Shingan**_

__Naruto had a sense of vertigo as he fell... down, down, down.

He landed in the body a small boy. The boy was cringing away from a massive tanuki which was held at bay by a mangled cage. The boy appeared to be pressing two objects together. On closer inspection, Naruto saw that it was a pair of wires of some sort.

"Gotta... stay, awake." the little boy gasped.

The tanuki howled, throwing itself against the cage. The boy cried out in pain as sparks leapt from the wires, but he held his ground, straining to hold the circuit together.

Naruto opened his minds eye in tune with Gaara's, only able to turn his attention slightly away from the wires, which were Gaara's main focus. Of course, the massive tanuki, whom Naruto assumed was Shukaku, also consumed a large amount of his attention.

Naruto theorized that the wires represented what was keeping Shukaku at bay. That was the problem with a person's mindscape, it was full of metaphors and symbols. What you saw in there was almost always incorrect. And yet, by affecting a mindscape, you could affect a person on a deeper level than any genjutsu could ever hope to do. It was quite frightening actually, and Naruto dreaded the day when he wouldn't be able to control his abilities when he entered someone's mind. He could stand hurting, or even mangling someone, heck, he had killed a few times now. But there was something seriously wrong with destroying a person's mind... for all he knew, a mindscape was actually a person's soul.

Naruto snapped out of his musings and coaxed Gaara's head up. It took quite a bit of work, but he managed to shift the boy's attention entirely to the tanuki before him.

**"I'm gonna eat you Gaki... then we're gonna have **_**lots**_** of fun. Yesss, there will be blood!"** The Tanuki screamed madly.

Naruto examined Shukaku, reaching out with his Kaigan enhanced senses. He could feel the spirit of the raving Oni within Shukaku, driving the otherwise noble Youkai insane. Naruto snarled in disgust.

_Oni_

Naruto fixed Shukaku with his gaze, then allowed his Kaigan to burst into brilliant life.

**"GRAAAAAAAAAAH"**

Multi-hued bars of steel slammed down in front of Shukaku's cage, throwing him back into the recesses of the prison which he was trapped in. Naruto hmphed, then rested a hand on the young Gaara's shoulder.

"You can let up for a couple days kid, I'll make sure of that." Naruto said, focusing more intently on Shukaku as he threw himself at Naruto's prison, "The mighty and noble have fallen far..."

Chakra raced through Naruto's body and he threw his mind forward once again. The multi-colored chakra encased Shukaku's body of sand with dancing fire, fusing his form into glass. One hateful eyeball turned towards Naruto, trying to burn him away with mere killing intent. Naruto scoffed and released his own Kaigan enhanced killing intent, sending the glass statue rocking backwards.

Naruto slammed his fist into the ground, and ribbons of light erupted around shukaku, binding him even further.

"And now, my grand finale!" Naruto yelled, bringing one hand back.

Naruto swung his hand towards Shukaku's face, then paused before the blow fell. His fist opened into a palm and he laid it on the Tanuki's nose.

"Remember." Naruto whispered.

The Youkai within the being known as Shukaku let out a roar, throwing back his captive. Naruto could feel the spirit of shukaku conquer the Oni, pushing it back into his tail, instead of saturating his entire being.

Naruto laced his voice with his own fledgling youki, **"Shukaku, I leave you with this charge, you are to no longer harm this boy. Do you understand me?"**

Shukaku snorted at him, **"I understand, but I'm wondering why I should be bound by the likes of you. You are nothing but a Hanyou. Not a true Youkai."**

Naruto let the Kyuubi's Youki seep into his system, **"I hold an alliance with one mightier than you Shukaku-san, you would do well to heed me"**

Sukaku was taken aback, or would have been, if his glassy form could move. Naruto was almost certain he would have bowed if able to move.

**"It shall be as you ask heir of Kyuubi."**

Naruto nodded, throwing his head back slightly to show his dominance of the situation, **"Good. I will be watching Shukaku, don't let me find out otherwise."**

Before Shukaku could respond, Naruto cut his Kaigan, allowing his spirit to fly free from Gaara's mindscape. He was slammed back into his body quite harshly, and fell to the floor where he laid for a second.

"So, How do you feel Gaara?" Naruto asked from his position.

"It's... quiet." Gaara replied.

"You should get some sleep, like I said, it's only temporary. Not even I have the power to control the Bijuu, for long anyways."

Gaara nodded and looked down at his paperwork, it seemed like there was a lot less now. In fact...

"Naruto, what did you do with the forms that were sitting here?" Gaara growled.

Naruto feigned innocence, then bolted out the window, leaving behind a note which fluttered down onto the Kazekage's desk.

**GET SOME SLEEP BAKA**

-Uzumaki Naruto

"That guy... I don't have time to-zzzzzz"

Miaki stared at the sleeping Kazekage, ready to make a run for it if Shukaku took hold. She waited in vain. Gaara just sat there with a piece of drool dripping from his mouth. A moment later, Naruto appeared back in the room.

"Whew, that was tough, I'm not that good at genjutsu, and leaving a suggestion in there was harder than you might think. I thought it wouldn't work."

"What did you do?" Miaki asked dangerously.

Naruto grinned, "Who me? Nothing of course, I definitely didn't leave a temporary hypnotic suggestion in his mind to fall asleep whenever he sees my signature. Nope, couldn't be me."

Naruto ignored Miaki's indignant stare and opened the door to the hallway, taping another note to the outside of said door.

**The Kazekage is out.**

The two ANBU at the door blinked and threw Naruto a curious look, but he grinned and brought a finger up to his lips, then closed the door.

"Alright, now that I've saved a man from himself and his paperwork, we should go eat! I'm starving!" Naruto proclaimed.

Miaki smacked him in the back of the head, "Idiot! You're just going to leave the most powerful ninja in the village sitting here, asleep?"

Naruto shrugged, rubbing the back of his head, "He'll wake up if any killing intent enters the area, and I'd rather not be here when he wakes up. Doing stuff for someone's own good usually doesn't go over with them too good in the short term. This way, I get to eat, and I also don't get maimed or killed when he wakes up. Of course, as soon as he realizes how refreshed he is, he'll only slightly injure me. I can deal with that."

Naruto, not waiting for Miaki to try and slow him further, leaped out the window, landing lightly in a swirl of dust on the ground below. He rubbed his forehead where his Konoha headband had been. In all seriousness, he missed it. There was something about having a hitai-ate that made you feel a sense of belonging. Sure, it also meant that you were a member of a military organization that specialized in killing people with less than honorable tactics, but still, it gave a sense that you had a family.

A very dysfunctional family.

Naruto sighed, then smiled to himself. There were some things about knowing that truth that made one absolutely depressed, and then there were things that could make a man feel higher than the Hokage tower. A curse in disguise... or a blessing perhaps. Either way, he was stuck with it, and there wasn't really any way he currently knew of that could get rid of it.

Naruto's musings were interrupted by another gust of wind, followed by a slightly miffed kunoichi, who looked like she wanted to hurt him. Naruto grinned awkwardly.

"You are going to get in trouble someday..." Miaki said.

Naruto laughed, "I don't need my abilities to tell you how true that statement is. But, at least I'll be having a good time when I get eviscerated."

"You really are untouchable..." She remarked, turning towards he favorite restaurant.

Naruto groaned, "I don't want to get takyoki! I want Raaaaammmeeeennn!"

"Quit your whining and move kid. Ramen is a waste of water in the desert, it has too much salt."

Naruto huffed, then grudgingly followed her.

XXXXXX

Two red cloaked figures stood out against the harsh light of the desert sun, seemingly defying the will of the fiery orb that dwelt within the sky.

"Itachi, this place is making me flake. We'd better get this done fast." Kisame said.

Itachi didn't bother to reply, but leveled a calm gaze at his partner.

Kisame growled and shot forward, leaving the younger missing-nin in his wake. Itachi continued to stare outwards into the desert, watching his partner fade into the distance towards Suna.

"Uzumaki..." He said softly.

He started forward at a decidedly calmer pace.

* * *

Miaki's notes

Zephyr style: This is a style of combat developed for and by wind users alone. By channeling wind chakra around and within the user, the ninja is able to move with increased speed and strength, while gaining the ability to form invisible blades out of any part of their body. This style requires the user to have the wind element as their chakra type, and it also requires a great amount of control, which Naruto slowly seems to be building. However, this style also requires a center of thought and mind, therefore, if the user loses sight of his or her goal, or becomes too excited, they will be unceremoniously tossed out of the style on their rear end. A rank style.

Kuuhaku (Vacuum): Every element of chakra has it's own signature ability, whether it be burning, dampening, or cutting. However, a little known fact about elemental chakra, is that it can be used to perform the exact opposite of what it usually does. In this technique, Naruto performs a spin much like a Hyuuga's Kaiten, but, instead of expelling a great amount of chakra, the user draws in the air around them, rather than expelling it in a blade-like form that is the usual ability of a wind user. At the same time, the user must also channel null element chakra outwards, creating a shell of nothing around them. This essentially creates a vacuum around the user, nullifying all wind, fire, and lightning attacks in the area. However, this has generally no effect on brute force attacks such as earth and water techniques, along with the more traditional styles of taijutsu (however, it can be used effectively if initiated just as your opponent is about to breathe in.)

Tsuraneru Shingan (linking the mind's eye): check previous chapters.


	18. Seiki Sharingan

Aaaaaand here it is!

Standard disclaimer here!

* * *

Naruto: Keeper of the Seal  
Chapter 17  
Seiki Sharingan

Naruto closed his mind to the world.

Drawing focus from within himself, he felt his chakra flow through his body, unrestrained by the mere trappings of flesh that bound his other traits. The marvel of chakra never ceased to amaze him when he tapped into it. He altered the flow and moved it ever so slightly in the direction he desired it to go, then felt the response of his body. A few moments later, he was satisfied and happily grinned on the the outside.

A piece of fried octopus made it's way to his mouth, his taste buds preparing to feel the taste sensation that would surely result from the meal that he considered slimy and distasteful, although it was neither of those. However, instead of the rubbery feeling he was expecting, he found that the feeling of warm, noodly goodness had entered his mouth. He tasted the sweet broth and tangy salt that accompanied his one and only favorite food.

"Success!" Naruto shouted, disrupting more than half of the dining establishment with his cries of joy.

Miaki gave him a rap on the head and growled, "What are you going on about?"

"Don't you see Miaki-chan! I've done it, I've created The Greatest Jutsu Ever!"

Miaki raised her eyebrow in suspicion, "I'm not following you, neither in the octopus that you're eating."

Naruto laughed, "I scorn your octopus woman, for I have gained the ability to make _**any**_ food taste like ramen!"

Miaki struggled for a second, then gave in and punched Naruto from across the table, sending the young blond sailing out a conveniently opened window. The owner of the store was no stranger to ninja, and had often thought of replacing the windows with something less breakable. Of course, it helped keep the place cool, and there was no other way to maintain a good sun intake _and_ keep out the sand from the storms that came of Sunagakure often.

Naruto however was unaware of this fact, but grateful that the window was open, as he didn't really feel like picking glass shards out of his back so that his healing factor could kick in. He performed a flip mid-air and landed gracefully, only skidding a short distance and leaving a small trail of glassed sand. He had not yet mastered sand walking, and mostly relied on a smooth application of his new forming youki to allow him to travel across the sand unhindered.

Naruto had noticed that his normal chakra exercises were becoming more difficult. Something about his forming youki had been disrupting his normal chakra's ability to perform the simple tasks that he often put it to. Of course, it made his punches a heck of a lot stronger, as the cost of slightly burning muscles when he finished a spar. Kyuubi had explained something about the 'heaviness' of youki, and the fact that it held an elemental affinity much stronger than chakra did. Naruto mostly ignored him, gaining a mental backhand which was laced with Kyuubi's toxic youki. He had had a headache for days afterwards.

"Miaki-chaaaan" Naruto whined, "You're always so violent!"

Miaki glared at him through the window, speaking before she popped another piece of food in her mouth, "And you're always an idiot, so we're square."

Naruto pouted, standing up straight and letting himself back in via the window which he had exited. He resumed his meal in relative silence before Miaki actually glanced up, slightly worried at his less than belligerent manner.

"What's the matter Naruto?" She asked compassionately.

Naruto shrugged, "I'm not sure. I have a strange itch in the back of my head, and I can't quite figure out why."

"A new ability?" She asked.

"I don't know. Kyuubi once told me that him and his kindred could sense when people were talking about them, maybe I'm gaining that power?"

Miaki snorted, "I think Kyuubi is leading you on kid."

Naruto shook his head, "No, Kyuubi hasn't led me astray in terms of abilities thus far. In fact, he's been a great help ever since I released his consciousness."

Miaki went back to her food, allowing Naruto to contemplate his own, then shovel it down like it was a bowl of Ramen. Of course, to his taste buds, it was.

A few minutes later, Naruto's chopsticks slammed onto the table, along with a few bills.

"I have to go, thanks for taking me out Miaki." Naruto said quietly.

He stood without further ado and took his leave, Miaki was going to call out, but something stopped her. Naruto was acting strange. Normally, he would have bugged her all day to teach him a new elemental technique, or help him refine his own skills. Their short sparring session that morning wouldn't have been enough to quench is unfailing desire for power to protect others. She briefly contemplated going after him, but decided against it.

He would be fine, Naruto was a stronger shinobi than most jounin, and his ingenuity and tenacity made him a match for even a sannin. Of course, he bore every mental scar that one could think of on his face and soul. His unique ability to see the truth in all things also prevented him from concealing the truth in himself. His eyes were easier to read than a book, and his flaring emotions were never repressed. Miaki feared that he would die someday if he didn't learn how to control them.

Meanwhile, Naruto was stalking across the bright sands of Sunagakure, feeling the weight of the world begin to rest on his shoulders as he moved through the streets which he had come to love in his short stay. He had so much to do! First there was Sasuke, then Akatsuki, then Orochimaru, then, worst of all, would his own village. When he had been hunted down by his beloved sensei, and the sensei's of his former teammates, he had felt their unwillingness, and knew that the council and Danzo had begun to imprint their seal on more Konoha shinobi.

Added on top of that was his developing youki, he had only begun to master it, and it was slowly pushing his chakra into a more concentrated bundle, which was even worse for doing jutsu than he previous powerhouse amount. He had never won a true victory against any of his foes, and now he was scrambling for allies. These worries flew about his head long into the afternoon, and soon darkness fell over Suna.

Naruto realized that he had wasted most of his day just worrying about things when he should have been training to get stronger! A small ember of determination burned to life in him, before it was smothered by cold pessimism. He felt that he was bound to fail, there was too much for just one gennin to do. He was just an orphaned child who had been forced to grow up quickly, not some mighty hero from a storybook.

What else could go wrong.

Of course, fate had a way of screwing things over for the young jinchuuriki. In this case, it came in the form of a dark haired sadist, and a rooftop entry.

"Banzai!" Shouted a voice.

Naruto, too lost in his thoughts, was only able to glance up and catch a glance of something that most perverts would dream of seeing before he was slammed into the ground under the weight of special jounin Mitarashi Anko.

"Hey there gaki! Couldn't help but notice you staring at my unmentionables." Anko purred, "See anything you like."

Naruto's mouth dropped open, and he quickly began stuttering out his denial of any perverted tendancies that Anko might have been hinting at.

"Relax kid, I was just messing with you." Anko laughed, rolling off of him.

Her features turned roguish a moment later, "But seriously, anything you like?"

Naruto blushed and tried to get up, only to have Anko press him back to the ground beside her, "Cool it for a moment Naruto-kun. You seem to have a lot on your mind, what's up?"

Naruto looked over that the woman he shared a bond with. The mind link that connected him to Anko was something that they would both bear to the end of their days, and it was something that not even a blood relation could replicate. If there was anyone whom he could confide his worst troubles in, it would be her.

And so, he told all, not holding any of his fears or anxieties back.

When he was done, the moon had already reached the apex of it's journey over the starry sky.

Anko didn't respond at first, but stared into the sky. She needed to organize her own thoughts. Naruto's worries weren't the small ones that plagued most teenagers. Each and every one of his problems were things that would cause even a squad of ANBU to shrink in fear.

"Have you ever noticed how beautiful the stars are Naruto?" Anko asked, looked over at him.

Naruto nodded, and she continued, "The world of shinobi is a painful one. It's filled with strife, conflict, and death wherever you turn. This world is filled with suffering that seems unbearable to those lost in it's cold night, and yet, in the night we can see those heavenly lights glistening against the darkness of the night."

"Even with all the evil in the world, the stars shed their brilliance and beauty upon us unworthy mortals. Despite the depravity and fallen state of men, they still give us a guiding light in the darkest of times. A hope which no jutsu or senseless act of violence can erase."

"You're like a star Naruto. You point the way through all times. When the world seems at it's worst, people can count of you to always be stalwart, to always be true to the cause for which you stand. Naruto, you've seen and felt the suffering of this world, and you didn't turn against it. Instead, you've created hope in those who need it. I've seen the way that people look at you. Not just the hateful eyes, but those with joy, and those with faith. You've given people something to believe in."

"You gave Sunagakure the leader that it has today, a mighty man who was once a maniac who would kill on sight. You revived the spirit of a nation that had been broken beyond any seeable repair. Heck, you gave me my freedom and made me go a little soft."

Anko smiled, and Naruto returned it, "Don't let go of that light Naruto, with it, you'll be able to save us all some day. Not just from Orochimaru or the Akatsuki, but from ourselves."

"Thanks Anko, I..." Naruto grasped for words.

Anko laughed and kissed him on the forehead before calmly getting up and walking away from the young blond. Naruto was shocked, and blushed lightly as he watched her walk away, almost certain that she wasn't swaying her hips out of habit. Naruto fell back and continued gazing at the stars before a dread sound interrupted his thoughts.

"Very touching."

Naruto flew to his feet, falling into his zephyr stance, preparing for the attack that one of the last Uchiha would surely throw at him.

It never came.

Naruto didn't drop his stance, but didn't attack the silent figure before him.

"Itachi." Naruto aknowledged, rather than stated.

Itachi's hat bobbed, indicating his assent. They sat like that for several moments, Naruto, ready to attack, and Itachi ready to... stand.

"You may lower your stance Uzumaki-san, I am not here to fight, I wish to speak with you." Itachi said conversationally.

Naruto snorted, "Right, look, until I see your scaly friend without his sword, I'm not dropping this stance."

"Kisame is busy outside the walls, holding a genjutsu over the guards. He believes that I am in here fighting you right now, but he will not stay there for long. He never was patient."

Naruto relaxed ever so slightly, "Why would you do that? I know that your objective is to take the Kyuubi from me."

Itachi shook his head, "That is Akatsuki's goal, it is only secondary to mine."

"Then state your purpose!"

Itachi glared at him, then threw off his hat, revealing the three tomoe of his sharingan, "When we last fought, you did something to me. You took from me my greatest weapon, I wish for you to return it."

Naruto growled, "And why would I do that? You and I both know that the Mangekyou Sharingan makes you ten times more powerful than you already are. What makes you think I would give you that power back? Without it, I'm sure Sasuke could beat you, why would I make it harder for him, when it will mean he returns to us more quickly?"

"You and I both know Sasuke will not return of his own will. He has tasted the forbidden fruit of power that only those who follow the darker path can offer. If you think his soul is untainted by it, I truly envy your naivety. I also mourn for it. Someone with your eyes should be able to tell the truth about such a matter."

Naruto snarled, "I don't care what you think about Sasuke, I know he's still good inside. Somewhere inside the person which he has become, there is someone trying to break free, and I will be there to help him when he tries."

Itachi sighed, "I really don't know why I thought you would listen to reason in that respect. My brother seems to have affected you much in the same way that you yourself have affected him and others. Your faith in him is astounding. I once had such faith."

"What?!" Naruto hissed.

"Yes, I once held the same views about Konoha. I believed it could do no evil, I believed that it was still pure, despite the many flaws that existed in it. The branch and main house of the Hyuuga were simple evils that had to be overlooked for the greater good."

"Of course, I was understandably disillusioned when I was ordered to kill my own family."

Naruto reeled, his Kaigan sparking to life, reaffirming the words which Itachi had just spoken.

Itachi nodded, "Yes, you know it to be true now. They say that the tree is strongest at the roots, but I tell you now, the roots of Konoha are rotten. Everything you and I once stood for is a sham. The people of Konoha live out their lives in happiness, unkowingly walking upon ground that is consecrated, no, land that is cursed by the blood of those loyal to it. Those loyal men and women who were betrayed out of political convenience."

"But... you still killed your family..." Naruto reasoned.

"Yes, I did. Despite all of it's failings. I still believe in that village. Like you, I believe there is something good still in Konoha. Something that survives, despite that hate. I loved Konoha enough to kill my family, but I didn't love it enough to kill my little brother. I left him a legacy that would lead him away from that cursed, lovely place. The place I love with all my heart, and despise with all my hatred."

Naruto fell to his knees, levelled by the truth that now stared him unblinking in the face. Everything Itachi was saying was true, down to the smallest morbid details.

"That is why I need you Uzumaki, to save it." Itachi finished.

Naruto stared blankly at Itachi, who continued, "The woman was right Naruto, you do shine with hope. But that hope must be tempered with strength, with ruthlessness now. I can give you that, but I wish for you to return to me that which I gave so much for. It is only right."

Naruto shook his head, then something happened that he had never imagined would happen in this lifetime. Itachi snapped.

The missing nin roared, leaping forward and slamming Naruto, still dazed by the revelations of recent, into a nearby wall. Itachi pinned him and gazed into his eyes, the tomoe of his sharingan swirling and flashing.

"I gave up my entire family! Those eyes were my only consolation _Uzumaki_! I lost everything to gain them, and I want them back."

Naruto shook his head again, and Itachi slammed him into the wall harder, "I'm losing my patience with you Naruto."

Naruto finally raised his own eyes, meeting Itachi's with a burning stare, "What I took from you was a burden that not even you could bear. I can feel it within me, it is _evil_ Itachi. I wouldn't wish that sort of evil on anyone. It is not merely a tool, it is a black prize which corrupts all who touch it. You can still be saved Itachi, don't let it take you."

Itachi snarled, "I don't need the advice of a child. I need my power back, I have one more kill to make, my mission isn't complete!"

Naruto stared, "I thought you loved Sasuke."

Itachi nodded, "I do, but there is one more. The one responsible for all of this, the one responsible for you!"

Naruto blinked, then howled with laughter. Itachi slammed him into the ground a couple times before he stopped.

"That's great, the one thing which Konoha tried to prevent by having you slaughter your own family, was caused by the one you missed. That's hilarious!" Naruto howled through coughs of pain.

Itachi moved to cause the gennin more pain, but Naruto stayed his hand, gluing himself to the ground as he was moved closer to the impending wall.

"Hold on Itachi. When I took your Mangekyou Sharingan away, I left you with something else. Now that I know your story, I think it's time I activated it."

Itachi paused, intrigued, "And what was that?"

Naruto chuckled, "A bit of me. You see, when I took your Mangekyou, I had to give something in return. Laws of the universe and all. Otherwise I would have probably died."

"Go on."

Naruto grinned, "I'm pretty hazy on the details, but I'm pretty darn sure that it'll be at least twice as powerful as your Mangekyou."

"Drawbacks?" Itachi asked, phasing into a more businesslike mood which slightly creeped Naruto out.

"Right on the spot. The Sharingan is said to have evolved from demons. Well, actually, it's a derivative of Oni tainted Youki that somehow managed to get into one of your ancestor's blood streams. Anyways, this has caused you and your kin to develop a natural darkness within you, something that can't really be helped. All but a few Uchiha live with that pain inside of them."

"When I blend my own youki with that of the demon which gave you your abilities, you may die. But, if you survive the ordeal, the true power of the Sharingan will be unlocked for you. The Seiki Sharingan"

"Seiki Sharingan?" Itachi asked, letting him go.

"Yes, as you have noticed, the use of the Mangekyou Sharingan slowly causes you to become blind. This is because the darkness of the blood within you slowly begins to rob the light from your eyes, or some sort of philosophical mumbo jumbo. Anyways, the Seiki Sharingan will not only not cause the degradation of your sight, it will enhance it beyond your wildest dreams, and will give you access to abilities that are less stressful to your own body."

"The Seiki Sharingan will create a balance within your body, allowing you to combat the darkness within. Of course, you will also begin to feel again, and that may be a little bit of a shock."

Itachi raised an eyebrow, "I can feel my emotions perfectly well Uzumaki."

Naruto shook his head, "No, you can't. That's why you've locked them away. Your emotions, even the most basic and pure, such as love, are twisted into something that is nearly unrecognizable. The only reason that you haven't completely lost everything is that you cling to the love of your brother, and your love for a village that all but betrayed you, and even now hunts you."

"When I use my power on you, you will undoubtedly be unable to suppress these emotions, as the darkness which we will be trying to balance is inseperably connected with each and every emotion you have. Humans aren't built to withstand that much emotional punishment at once, especially not the kind of pain that comes from emotions tainted by otherworldly powers."

"So, you have a choice, you can either fight me here, walk away, or let me help you. The choice is yours."

Itachi gave Naruto a searching look, "You are not the only one who can tell when others lie Uzumaki, I know you're holding something back."

Naruto grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

"Heh, yeah... Well, at the end of this all, because we'll have balanced out the dark taint within you, you may experience a slight change in personality."

"Slight?" Itachi questioned.

Naruto held Itachi's stare, "Itachi, you have the blood of a demon running through your veins. Once that is eliminated, things will invariably change within your psyche. Not all at once, but the chemicals that control the thought processes, even your brain itself, will begin to change. I can't predict what will happen, not even Kami knows that."

Itachi closed his eyes, "I see..."

Naruto waited, feeling Itachi's hesitance, yet his eagerness to discover what Naruto was offering him.

"I..." Itachi began, then steeled his resolve, "I accept."

Naruto nodded, "We'll need to move somewhere where no one will find us for a while, then we can begin."

Itachi shook his head, "It has to be now, besides, I've already taken the needed precautions. No one will hear us or enter this area for another few hours. Begin."

Naruto nodded, understanding that Itachi had probably placed a powerful genjutsu bound to a chakra seal in the area somewhere.

Naruto stepped forward, closing the distance between them and laying his hands over the missing nin's eyes. He contemplated his course of action. Giving even greater power to someone as insane and unstable as Itachi didn't seem like a good idea. However, something in his heart told him that this should be done, and if nothing else, naruto was guided by his heart above all else.

"Uchiha Itachi," Naruto intoned, "Take back your power, and take mine with it."

And it was done, for Naruto at least.

A tearing sensation rippled through Naruto's body and a blackish red substance erupted from his pores, carrying with it a more ethereal blue and white substance, Naruto's youki. Naruto cried out and fell to the ground as the sensation of being torn apart roared through his body, breaking his sanity and sending him spiralling into darkness. The substance which had just escaped Naruto's body shot forward, piercing Itachi's eyes and causing him to roar in agony, falling to the ground next to the Jinchuuriki.

Unimaginable pain tore through the missing nin's body as the power which had been stolen from him so long ago re-entered his body, awakening old emotions and tearing afresh scars which had sealed long ago. He began to chant the names of every Uchiha whom he had killed, then fell into darkness along with the boy beside him, his breathing labored and his body twitching.

XXXXXX

"So it's come to this."

Itachi's eyes opened blearily. He was laying on the hard unyielding stone of a strange courtyard. The stones of the crumbling wall seemed to echo with past memories, and future promises. A man labored on the wall, smearing mortar along the uneven edges and skillfully placing smooth cut stones into the broken cracks that exposed an oblivion beyond imagining. Itachi would have paid more attention to the blond builder, but his eyes were pulled away by another presence beside him..

Itachi turned his head and his eyes widened. He could see a perfect copy of himself standing and observing the builder, but not with any interest or fascination, just, observation. The figure standing over him was as true a copy to himself as could be, except for the fact that a fully matured Mangekyou Sharingan swirled in his eyes.

"Who are you?" Itachi asked his doppelganger, pulling himself to his feet.

The doppelganger smirked a little, "I am you. Or, you as you are now. That boy is trying to destroy me, to replace me with you."

Itachi growled, "I am me, not a replacement."

The other Itachi turned to him, proffering a mirror, "Really? Then why is it that I have your power, and yet, you have nothing?"

Itachi blinked, then gazed into the mirror. Instead of the Mangekyou, or even a normal Sharingan, he gazed into the depths of the onyx eyes that he had not used for a long time. Itachi sent a burst of chakra to his eyes, but couldn't seem to activate his bloodline.

"Why?" Itachi asked.

"Because he took it from you Itachi. I can give it back, just take my hand, and we shall cast this builder out, he is attempting to take your power away from you." The doppelganger replied, holding out his hand.

Itachi glanced at the hand, then down at his own, "I've always relied on myself for things, I don't think I need you help anymore. Oni."

The doppelganger turned to him in fury, "You won't take my help!? I am you Itachi! Why would you take the hand of that brat over me!"

Itachi's face went passive, "Because you are not me. You are corrupt, you have damaged me beyond repair, I can see that now."

The builder, unmistakably Uzumaki Naruto, grinned over at Itachi, tossing him a single rose. Itachi's hand intercepted the plant and the rose morphed into a sword the instant it touched his hand. The blade shone with brilliant multi-hued light, piercing the darkness which seemed to exude from his doppelganger.

"The truth is, you are not me, you are the sins of my fathers. And I refuse to bear them any longer!" Itachi declared, his eyes bursting into brilliant life with the sword.

The doppelganger snarled and lashed out with a blade as dark as night. Itachi parried, the bright blade sending sparks of black and white flying through the air.

"The truth is a fallacy, even you should know genjutusu when you see it." The doppelganger called out.

Itachi's sword burst into smoke, leaving him defenseless as his doppelganger closed in, "I will have blood Itachi, I don't need you any more, by severing your connection with me you have allowed me to survive without you. So die."

Itachi batted the blade aside by it's flat and sent a vicious kick into the doppelganger's ribs. The doppelganger skidded back, then raised his head in malicious ecstasy.

"Yes, fight me Itachi! Prove to me that the blood I will take is worthy of me!"

The doppelganger rushed forward, stronger and faster than before, driving Itachi back as he dodged fluidly, his ninja senses taking over. The doppelganger seemed to fade in and out of sight, not letting Itachi get a good grip on his location.

In that time, the builder had continued his work, placing a few more stones until he found a small crack.

"Ah ha, this is as good a spot as any." The man said.

From out of his coat, he produced a small gemstone, this one white as the fairest lily. He placed it in the hole, which fused over it. In that moment, Itachi felt his eyes begin to itch.

"Ivory, for purity."

The doppelganger growled and hurled himself at Itachi, only to be throw back by a burst of searing light emanating from Itachi's eyes. When the light faded, a single white tomoe swirled in a sea of red that his pupils had become.

Itachi smiled, "I can see you now."

A kunai of white steel appeared in his hand. The doppelganger wasted no time in rushing at him, seeming to grow stronger, even as Itachi himself became mightier. Itachi's kunai came up, blocking the black edge that emanated from his doppelganger's hand again and again. Finally, annoyed with this simple game, the doppelganger fell back, hurling a few bolts of darkness at Itachi to distract him.

Itachi blocked the bolts, but wasn't in time to avoid the Amaterasu that roared from his doppelganger's eye.

As the black fire descended on the Uchiha, the builder placed another stone, this time a diamond darker than the night sky. The stone fused into the wall, and Itachi felt another burst of power engulf him.

"Diamond, for mastery."

Itachi raised his hand to meet the fire, and it danced over his palm like an obedient child, standing in place as a black tomoe grew in each of his eyes, swirling around the red pupil with the white one.

"I've outgrown you Oni. Your darkness can no longer assist me in my goals." Itachi said softly.

The burst of black fire leaped out of Itachi's hands, only to be countered by another burst from his doppelganger, who rushed through the dying flames as if they were a mere candle. Itachi once again engaged him in combat, now forcing the doppelganger back as his kunai grew into a dirk. The doppelganger locked eyes with Itachi, then laughed as he drew him into the world of Tsukuyomi.

Itachi's eyes widened as he watched through his own eyes as he stood before his little brother, kunai in hand, giving his speech. Then something changed.

The kunai in Itachi's hand flew, piercing his brother's soft flesh, and sending the boy to the ground. Itachi felt as if his own heart had been cut out. He fell to his knees as he regained control of his body, knowing what would come next, but it didn't. Instead, he lost control of his body again, and turned toward the village he loved enough to destroy his family.

Konoha.

Itachi's eyes widened as he tried to stop himself. His first victim was a wandering Chuunin, who appeared more drunk than usual. The man died quickly, and many others followed. Itachi's eyes began to stream with tears as emotions he had held back for years seemed to tear through his body, causing him more pain than a kunai rammed through his gut.

A third stone, this time, bright as the morning sun.

"Pearl, for hope."

Naruto stood before Itachi, Itachi's hand raised to kill the young boy. Then something stopped him. Naruto was blazing with light. The child smiled up at him and gave him a thumbs up before fading from his view, along with the vivid horror that seemed to engulf him.

A third tomoe of pure white circled through Itachi's eyes now, and he gazed into the eyes of the Mangekyou without fear. The doppelganger snarled and renewed his assualt, growing more desperate. Itachi felt that his strength was growing, he deftly flicked his wrist, disarming his opponent as his own weapon became the slightly curved short sword that he favored.

Itachi slammed forward, driving home his blade into the doppelganger's gut, driving him to his knees. The man coughed up blood, then looked up grinning.

"So, you've finally conquered the darkness in you, well, finish me. I will always be out there, waiting." The doppelganger said, smiling as he gestured beyond the wall.

Itachi ripped his sword out, fully intending to strike down the beast before him. He reared back, then paused. The builder stood beside him.

"My work is not done, if you finish him, I too can finish." The builder said, trying to goad him.

Itachi blinked, now unsure. Naruto had promised him power greater than that of the Mangekyou. He had surely beaten a user of the dreaded skill, but he didn't see anything greater right now. He felt no more powerful than usual. A realization dawned over him.

"Who are you?" He asked.

The builder grinned, "Why, I'm you of course."

Itachi raised an eyebrow, "You are Uzumaki Naruto."

The builder laughed, "Well, that is the form I have taken. I was once your enemy, and am now your ally. I am the opposite of the darkness within you. Now slay this beast so that I can finish my work."

"Yes, finish me." The demon grinned.

Itachi noticed how similar their smiles were, then smiled his own smile, "Naruto told me I only had to defeat the demon in me, not destroy it. But above all, he told me to bring balance."

Itachi pointed to the builder, "If I let him have his way, I will become just as I was, strong, but incomplete."

"You would kill me as well?" The builder asked, holding up his tools.

Itachi shook his head, "No, I have come to realize something, you are both a part of me, and therefore, I cannot live without either of you."

"So you will return to how you were anyways." The demon spoke.

Itachi laughed, "No, I have indulged you too long Oni. I realize now what Naruto told me about becoming stronger. Tell me builder, have you any stones left?"

The builder shook his head, "Two white and one black were all I was given."

Itachi smiled, "Then the answer is simple, to restore balance, I shall need another black stone."

The builder shook his head, "I have none."

"But he is of the darkness, is he not?"

The builder sized up the Oni, then nodded, "I can use this, but his corruption is too dark, it will disrupt the balance."

Itachi nodded, "I know, which is why you are both required."

The two beings looked upon him in horror, and Itachi held out his hand.

With a scream, the two beings fused. The brightness of the light around Itachi was only swallowed up by the darkness within him, then all became still.

In his hand, rested a simple onyx. Itachi moved to the last crack in the wall, and placed the stone in it.

"Onyx, for Uchiha!" He said triumphantly.

The world rumbled in response, and a fourth tomoe appeared in his eyes, this one black.

Itachi grinned as he felt the power and elation flow through him. He turned about and the wall crumbled behind him as he faced a lone shrine atop a hill. Itachi strode to the shrine and bowed before it as a being appeared.

The exact copy of Itachi smiled at him as he made his presence known, "Welcome Itachi. I am you, as you are now, and shall be."

Itachi smiled at his copy, then, noticing the yin yang symbol in his copy's eyes did a double take, "What is that?"

The copy smiled, "This is the Seiki Sharingan. Because you have brought balance to yourself, you shall be able to wield it. I cannot tell you more, for I know no more. Use it well Itachi, and remember, the darkness and the light cannot exist without each other, and one such as yourself cannot exist without a balance of both."

The copy smiled and faded to nothing as Itachi looked on in wonder, before the scenery began to fade.

XXXXXX

Naruto grinned as Itachi began to rouse himself.

The older shinobi's eyes fluttered open, and Naruto's breath caught as he stared into four tomoes, two black, and two white, swimming in a sea of red.

Itachi stood up, and of all the things in the world, smiled.

"I thank you Naruto. You have given me power, and you have given me hope."

Itachi began to walk away.

"And that's it?!" Naruto yelled after him.

Itachi laughed, and Naruto cringed slightly, but the sound was a pure one, untainted by madness or evil.

"We shall meet again Naruto, but for now, I must restore balance."

"What the heck kind of cryptic crap is that!" Naruto yelled after him, only to talk to a storm of ravens as it flapped silently into the night.

"Wow, that's how people show gratitude these days..." Naruto sighed.

* * *

Naruto's notes!

Seiki Sharingan (True Heart Copy Wheel Eye): This is the true ultimate form of the Sharingan. Because the Sharingan is a derivative of Youkai DNA that is tainted by Oni power, it has a tendency to bend towards the darker side of the Sharingan's abilities, and also tends to warp the user in a similar way. However, because Itachi was able to conquer the Darkness inside of himself, and deny the Light, he was able to create a balance which would allow the true power of the Sharingan to come forth. The Seiki Sharingan has all the abilities of a normal Sharingan, and can wield the powers of Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi, and Susanoo, along with a few more! These shall be revealed in time...

Thanks to all, and happy... whatever it is today!


End file.
